


The Duel Champion's Daughter

by ShikiKira



Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale, Yu-Gi-Oh! GX
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Crossover, Crossover Pairings, Drama, Family Drama, Gen, Romance, Teen Angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-08-03
Updated: 2016-12-10
Packaged: 2017-11-11 09:04:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 25,829
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/476874
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShikiKira/pseuds/ShikiKira
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As Kaiba Seto's eldest child and heir to the Kaiba family fortune, Higurashi-Kaiba A. N. Kagome was expected to love the game that ensnared her father. In reality, she loathed the game. Since she was small, Duel Monsters has been the source of her problems, but now her parents were sending her to Duel Academy to find a suitable fiancé and take over her father's title.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Her Father's Announcement

**Author's Note:**

> Currently under revision. Will post the other chapters once I finish editing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is a difference in the time skip between the two series of Yu-Gi-Oh, so instead of it being only ten years it is going to be twenty and it is an AU from the Inuyasha series  
> Character Translation:  
> Asuka Tenjouin= Alexis Rhodes  
> Fubuki Tenjouin= Atticus Rhodes  
> Jun Manjoume= Chazz Princeton  
> Judai Yuki=Jaden Yuki  
> Daichi Misawa= Bastion Misawa  
> Sho Marufuji=Syrus Truesdale  
> Ryo Marufuji=Zane Truesdale  
> Edo Phoenix= Aster Phoenix  
> Hayato Maeda= Chumley Huffington  
> Emi Ayukawa= Fonda Fontaine  
> Chronos de Medici= Vellian Crowler  
> Chancellor Sheppard= Chancellor Samejima  
> Ages:  
> Fubuki and Ryo= 17  
> Hayato= 16  
> Kagome, Asuka, Jun, Sho, Judai= 15  
> Souta = 12  
> "Speech"  
> 'Thoughts'

Kagome sighed for what seemed like the hundredth time that day as she patiently sat in a comfy black leather seat in her father’s company office, and tried not to fidget with her clothes. Her clothing consisted of a dark cobalt blue baby doll top styled dress with a silver and white ribbon tied into a bow at the center edge of her dress’ neckline. Tiny periwinkle and silver colored butterflies were also embroidered into the bottom of the skirt and set to appear as if they were fluttering around the edges in a valley shaped design. Adorning her dainty feet were a pair of matching peep-toe one inch heels.

Sitting before her and behind a black mahogany desk was her father, Kaiba Seto, and standing next to him was her Uncle Mokuba. Both she and her younger brother, Souta, have never really been all that close to their father and uncle as the two were almost constantly gone on either business trips or to duel monster tournaments in another city or country. It was for that reason that their mother decided to move them out of the Kaiba mansion at an early age and to one of their family shrines in Tokyo, the one which their maternal grandfather helped manage.

Their father had never really much paid attention to them until five years ago when both Souta and Kagome had started to show a more competitive interest in their father’s favorite card game and in other activities. It was only then that the two siblings were able to start seeing their father on a more regular basis. Before that the only times that the siblings had talked to or even saw their father was either on television, at holiday dinners, birthdays, or on the telephone.

They finally caught and kept their father and uncle’s attention when both children had won their first competitions in Duel Monsters and martial arts. However, it was Kagome who had the complete attention of their father after her first win at a duel monsters tournament and Souta who had the attention of their Uncle Mokuba. It was those victories that caused Seto and Mokuba to visit more often, so the two may see how the kids did in the competitions.

Now five years later, Kagome stood in the top ranks of Japan’s Pro Dueling League and was known as the Ace Princess. She had originally entered Duel Monsters tournaments under Higurashi A. K., which was short for Higurashi A. Kagome, so that she would not draw too much attention to herself and her family while still being legally qualified for tournaments.

She had chosen to use her initials instead of her full name because if the media ever searched for her by her family name, they would never be able to find her as there were many other Higurashi’s with an A and K given name or middle name, and would prevent them from connecting her to her father and uncle. However, her alias quickly changed to Ace… at least when it came to the audience’s cheers. It was mainly because almost all of her duels against other players usual ended within ten turns of the game; most of time the duels ended in one turn if she was in a particularly bad mood.

However, today as she sat in front of her father she was not Ace Princess nor was she Higurashi Kagome, as she was known as to the rest of the world. Right now, she was Higurashi-Kaiba A. Kagome or Kagome/Guomei Akemi Noémie Higurashi-Kaiba (as she was known in America and Europe), eldest child and only daughter of the retired Duel Monsters World Champion, Kaiba Seto. Still sitting in the seat in front of her father’s desk, Kagome waited anxiously for her father and uncle to tell the important news that had pulled her out of her gymnastics practice while she fidgeted with the skirt of her dress.

“Kagome,” started Seto as he watched his daughter with a calculating eye. “Your mother and I have decided that now that you are almost sixteen and can be responsible enough for yourself, you are to attend Kaiba Corporation’s Duel Academy…”

Before he was able to finish speaking he was interrupted because Kagome had by then shot up from her seat and spoke to her father in a respectful tone, “With all due respect chichiue, why do I have to go to your academy? You know my team and I are in the middle of our competition season, and how serious we are about competing. Our season won’t be finished until after Duel Academy’s term has started. From what you’ve shown me about the curriculum, I have already met all of the academy’s graduation requirements. I really don’t see the point of having to re-start my entire high school career when graduation is a little more than half a year away, not like you’ll come to it anyways,” she grumbled the last part quietly to herself.

Seto patiently let his daughter finish her rant about not going to the academy though his eyebrow twitched involuntarily when he heard the last statement, knowing that it had not been meant for his ears.

He knew he had not been the best father to his children as he could be despite promising himself that he would not behave the same way as his adopted father, Gozaburo. Even with that promise, he had still ended up being a poor father to his son and daughter. His obsession with his favorite game had caused him to miss many events that his children had deemed important to them, and had even nearly ended his marriage to the only woman he ever loved.

That Kisara girl from his past life did not count, no matter what Yugi and the others said. He held no affection for that long dead woman who he never met in this lifetime, and never will meet. As far as he was concerned, all romantic notions and attachments from one life did not carry over to the next one after a person’s death.

When he was sure his teenage daughter was finished with her rant, he began to explain his and his wife’s reason for sending their daughter to the family’s boarding school, “Kagome, whether you like it or not, you will be attending Duel Academy. You’ll be learning more strategies for your duels that you and your tag-duel partner have not learned, and you will also be showing why our family is the dueling champion.”

“But can’t I do that while still attending my current school?! You’ve already have me dueling and practicing against you, Yugi-oji-san, and a bunch of other people almost every weekend for the last two years. If I go to the academy I’ll be stuck on an island in the middle of nowhere with maybe a handful of people even worth dueling,” Kagome complained hotly as her legendary temper started to rise and her hands clenched into fists by her side.

If she had her way, she would never go back to that island except to visit people she considered family. If it wasn’t for her father, uncles, and best friend, she wouldn’t have had anything to do with the card game that had split up her family. “I don’t want my intelligence or skills to degrade from being around less skilled duelists!”

Before her temper could reach an all-time high and get the better of her, her Uncle Mokuba interrupted, “Kagome, you are going there for more than just learning strategies and proving yourself as a Kaiba. Nii-sama and Fumiko-nee have decided that while you attend Duel Academy you will look for someone to be your future husband, a fiancé in other words. Someone who will be able to help you and Souta-kun run the family company.”

For the first time in a very long while, Kagome was left speechless and slowly slumped into her seat as her mind tried to comprehend what her uncle had just announced to her. When her mind finally caught up to what was just announced to her, Kagome started sputtering and exclaimed, “Wh... what?”

Turning towards her father, Kagome awaited an answer from him. As soon as he gave her a solemn nod of his head she searched his eyes to see if he was truly serious about this decision, seeing that it was absolutely true she continued earlier exclamation. “Why do I have to look for a fiancé already? I’m only fifteen!”

Tired of hearing his daughter yell, Seto cut her off and tried to reason with the blue-eyed girl. “Kagome, you are almost of marrying age, and it is time for you to look for someone who can help you run and take care of the company. So far every boy that you have brought home to meet your mother and the rest of the family has not gained our full approval,” stated Seto calmly.

 _Why couldn’t she just accept this like her mother had? Fumiko was never this difficult even when she was angry with me,’_ Seto thought, mentally sighing at how difficult his eldest child could be sometimes.

“I can understand that, but what about Sesshomaru? He must have met most of your unreasonable expectations and conditions! He certainly gained hahaue’s approval. And what am I supposed to do about my competitions?” complained an unhappy Kagome.

It was at that time that her Uncle Mokuba answered her first question that was directed towards her father. “Well that Sesshomaru guy was the closest to gaining nii-sama’s approval of having a relationship with you, but...” dragged out Mokuba.

“But what?”

“He didn’t meet one of the most important standards in nii-sama’s book.”

“And that would be?” Kagome prompted with a bored look and her arms crossed over her chest. She really didn’t care. She could probably already guess the most important standard on her father’s list of requirements. 

Instead of Uncle Mokuba answering her as she had expected it was her father who spoke. “He didn’t even know what Duel Monsters was,” said a furiously scowling Kaiba Seto as his thoughts brought up the memory of the discussion he had with his wife, Higurashi-Kaiba C. Fumiko, about the last boyfriend his daughter had brought home for his wife and his approval. Not that any of the boys ever got to see him, of course. _‘Can’t believe someone actually doesn’t know what Duel Monsters is. If they don’t even know that how do they expect me to let them date my little girl,’_ Seto inwardly ranted to himself.

 _‘Of course, it’d be Duel Monsters. What else would be more important than that stupid game?’_ Kagome thought with a mental scowl though her face remained rather bored in regards to her father’s response. Since a little after her twelfth birthday, she had retained a cool façade in front of her father, never really showing the oldest Kaiba when he would upset her.

 _‘I guess it’s a good thing Sesshomaru-aniki and I were never actually dating, and had only gone as far as that one mistletoe kiss from last year’s Winter Solstice Gala.’_ She quickly pushed those thoughts out of her mind as she continued the conversation with her father and uncle. “And your other requirements, chichiue?”

“Before we begin, know that these requirements are not only from me,” Se stated now that he had finally snapped out of his thoughts. “But as well as your mother and the Higurashi matriarch.”

“First,” Mokuba quickly started, seeing that his niece wanted to be finished with this impromptu meeting as soon as possible. “He has to be comfortable with living in a wealthy environment, but that doesn’t mean you have to marry someone who’s rich. He just has to be a respectable young man, and can’t be a jerk, a weirdo, or a snob,” the younger Kaiba male continued, knowing how much his sister-in-law’s family hated arrogant and obnoxious people.

“Alright,” Kagome agreed as she reached into her hand bag and pulled out a small notepad and a pen to write down the standards she would have to follow to find her future husband.

“Secondly,” continued Seto as eyed Kagome with a serious look. “He must be healthy and exceptionally athletic especially if you want him to be able to keep up with you,” he added pointedly, remembering how often his daughter trained in her chosen sports.

“Thirdly, he has to be able to provide for you through his own career, and not through the use of his family’s wealth or his trust fund if he has one. He most definitely is not allowed free load off your efforts,” Mokuba scowled. Oh how he hated free loaders and gold diggers.

“Fourthly, he has to be able to duel, and I mean with Duel Monsters not a physical fight. That is the main reason why your mother and I are sending you to Duel Academy. At the moment most of the best junior league and most prospective duelist are attending our school. As my daughter and junior champion, it is somewhat expected of you to date someone one who has some decent skills,” Seto stated.

He took care to not mention about his daughter's withdrawal from the Japan Championship Tournament back in March when she was the defending champion. Just thinking about that time and what had happened to his little girl had him seething and murderous for the person’s blood; a similar feeling had also boiled in him eleven years ago, but much more ferociously.

“Lastly and most importantly is that...”

“We want your future husband to love you for you and truly care about you,” finished the two elder Kaiba’s together.

“I know I have never been there when you needed me most, nor have I been a very good father to you and Souta, but know this,” Seto spoke softly, and as he spoke he quietly rose from his seat and walked around his desk.

As his daughter sat stiff in her seat and unknowing of his intentions, the blue-eyed man wrapped his arms around his daughter in a fatherly hug; one that he rarely was able to give her and his son. “I love the both of you very much, and I only want what’s the best for my little girl, Gome-chan,” said Seto softly as his arms tightened around the young Kaiba.

Kagome sat in her seat stock still as her mind slowly processed what had just transpired, her heart hesitant to accept the older Kaiba’s words as the truth. Her body subconsciously stiffened further upon feeling her father’s arms wrap her in his embrace. When she felt the older Kaiba’s arms tighten around her the blue-eyed girl finally began to relax into his hold. In the far recesses of her mind one of the walls built around her heart began to crumble as she slowly returned her father’s hug.

For the first time since after her move to Tokyo, she called her father the one thing he had longed to hear from her. “I know tou-chan, I know,” Kagome whispered as joy filled tears sprung the corners of her eyes and began trailing down her cheeks in small rivulets.

As this display of father-daughter affection was going on Mokuba remained completely silent as he watched his older brother and niece make up for past transgressions. _‘Well this was unexpected,’_ thought Mokuba as he leaned against the wall that was behind him with his arms crossed over his suit covered chest and a smirk crawling onto his face. _‘But it’s a good unexpected.’_

When father and daughter finally pulled away from each other and out of each other’s embrace the two quickly recomposed themselves and were back in their seats sitting still with straight backs. Seeing that the two other Kaiba’s were back to their normal selves, Mokuba began speaking again, “Now that we’re all back to normal. How about we address Kagome-chan’s competition problem, ne?”

“Oh yeah… What are we going to do about that?” the youngest Kaiba asked just remembering one of her issues about enrolling into Duel Academy.

“Well you can just not go to the competitions during your time at the academy,” suggested Mokuba as he pushed himself off the wall that he had been leaning on.

“I’m not going to the academy unless I can still compete in them,” stated Kagome with finality. “Plus, I can’t do that! My team’s last competition is in September, and I have to keep in shape for my other competitions too. By attending that place, all the training I’ve put in will be for naught since more than half my muscles will be gone by time I compete in the fall,” complained Kagome.

“There is a reason why I had a gym and other training facilities built with the academy,” added Seto. “You may continue practicing your martial arts and routines there.”

“So that solves one for you, but what about actually attending the competitions?”

“Well… I was hoping you would change your mind about sending me to the academy, and let me stay at my current school…,” Kagome mumbled out meekly before adding her reason. “Because if I go to the academy, I won’t be able to do any more of the Pro Dueling matches since I won’t have accessible transportation to the Kaiba Dome anymore.”

“That I won’t allow,” said Seto firmly, leaving the poor girl confused on whether he meant her staying at her current school or her hiatus from the Pro Dueling League. “However to compensate for taking you away from your friends and school, I will allow the use of one of the company’s helicopter to get to your tournaments during the school term.”

“Really?” asked Kagome, who had immediately perked up and began slightly bouncing in her seat as the last few words passed through her father’s lips.

“Kagome, Kaiba’s do not bounce around like a hyperactive lunatic with the exceptions of your uncle and brother on a sugar high,” Seto chuckled softly as he tried to stop his daughter’s sudden burst of bounciness.

Remembering where she was, Kagome stopped bouncing in her seat and calmed herself down. “Okay… but what am I supposed to tell my friends when they ask me why I am transferring schools?”

“How about the truth?” suggested Mokuba with an arched eyebrow as he once again leaned back against the wall, but this time with his hands laced together behind his head.

“Can’t; I only have one friend who knows Souta and I are related to the ‘Great Kaiba Seto’ and his little brother doesn’t even attend Issei with me or the others, and I would rather Souta didn’t get swamped with more media attention than what he already will have to deal with.” As the two continued with Mokuba shooting off ideas and Kagome putting them down for one reason or another they never noticed that as each idea was shout out that Seto was slowly starting to lose his cool.

“Just tell them that your father called, and told you that you have been enrolled into Duel Academy to find someone suitable to your taste in men,” Seto said hotly. He was tired of the two younger Kaiba’s talking as if he was not there and their crazy ideas to explain to his daughter’s friends why she was transferring schools.

“That might actually work,” exclaimed Kagome with a happy grin appearing on her face as she snapped her fingers. Despite being a child that could be considered a prodigy, the blue-eyed girl sometimes overlooked the simplest of solutions, and usually preferring the elaborate ones… much like her mother.

“Why didn’t I think of that?” Mokuba asked himself.

“Because out of the two of us, you’re the younger and immature one,” Seto stated with a smirk.

“Hey I resent the immature statement; I am not immature!” retorted Mokuba while pouting and crossing his arms together over his chest. At that moment, he looked very much the part of an insulted child.

Ignoring his little brother, Seto turned back towards his daughter and began to tell her how and who she will be going to school as. “Now that we have that taken care of/ Kagome you will be going to school under your current alias of Higurashi Kagome to keep away boys who are after you for the family fortune as that was one our standards in your future husband.”

“I was going to do that anyways. I would probably get more suitors being Kaiba Seto’s daughter than I would as the Ace Princess,” declared Kagome as she started to play with the butterfly embroidery at the hem of her dress.

“Yes, that’s because you will still be known as the Ace Princess. That may help you find a suitor who actually has some skills in the game instead of those pathetic amateurs.”

“So may I take my leave chichiue?” Kagome inquired as she stood up from her seat.

“Yes, you may Kagome, but remember the entrance exam is in a month. Exactly one week before the academy school year starts and you have to take it if you want a good dorm,” reminded Seto as he let his daughter return to his wife’s home in Tokyo.

“Yes chichiue,” answered Kagome solemnly as she remembered that she still had to leave her friends behind to attend her new school. Kagome then proceeded to calmly leave her father’s office with her back straight and her dress moving about her like an ocean breeze was gently blowing towards her.

As soon as his niece was gone Mokuba turned toward his brother and asked, “Well shall we go tell the pilots to be ready to take Gome-chan to competitions during the school year.”

Silently getting up from his seat, Seto headed out of his office towards the direction of where the company pilots stayed within the building while calling out to Mokuba, “Let’s go, Mokuba.”


	2. A Little History

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Some cards names will be referred to by their Japanese names, depending on which I like better. For example, Polymerization will be called Fusion and the E-HERO Avian and E-HERO Burstnatrix are E-HERO Featherman and E-HERO Burst Lady. Also some cards will be treated as separate cards if they have different effects in the anime than they do in the actual game. For example, the card Cards of Sanctity's effect in the game is "Banish all other cards you control and in your hand (min.1 from each); draw until you have 2 cards in your hand." while in the anime, the card's effect is "Each player draws until they have 6 cards in their hand." In this case, the anime version will be referred by its Japanese name Treasure from Heaven and be treated as a completely different card. The cards used in this chapter (and the effects of the cards, if not stated within the story) will be listed at the end of this chapter. If I change a card effect, the card will be listed with its original effect and my modified effect.

Kagome sighed as she stepped out of the hidden underground train platform and onto the elevator that would take her to the regular platform of the train station in Domino City.

The underground platform was a hidden one as it was a private national system specially created by and reserved for Issei Institute alumni and other members of the supernatural community. With speeds nearly twice as fast as any Shinkansen and situated further underground than any subway, the train system was used by Issei students and alumni to quickly and stealthily arrive at specific places for assignments, particularly undercover work and their everyday jobs. The impossible speed of the trains running so far underground sometimes generated tremors that were often mistaken for mini-earthquakes; the more trains that ran on the same line and at the same time, the greater the "earthquake."

Nearly a month has passed since the day Kaiba Seto had called his only daughter to his main office and ordered her to attend Duel Academy and to find a fiancé by her seventeenth birthday. As she had promised her father, she had taken Duel Academy's written entrance exam the previous Saturday after she had returned from visiting her older cousins in Hong Kong.

And a week later, she was again in Domino City. Even though it was a Saturday during summer vacation, she still had to wake up early for the long commute to the Duel Monsters obsessed city. The only good thing was that she didn't have to partake in the skill test of Duel Academy's entrance exam due to her position as a professional duelist.

Keeping a firm hold on her large handbag, Kagome glanced down at the diamond encrusted platinum watch she had received from her godmother for her fifteenth birthday. Judging by the sun and moon clock hands, she still had an hour and a half before she had to meet up with her godfather.

The elevator chimed when it had arrived on the main floor of Domino Station, and the young Kaiba quickly got off and mingled in with the Saturday crowd. Not wanting to draw too much attention to herself, she pulled the brim of her red baseball cap closer to her face as she assimilated into the late-morning commuters.

Unlike the quiet atmosphere of the secret platform, the mundane part of Domino Station was a loud and rowdy place. The volume of the place was so high that she could barely make out the announcement that sounded overhead. If Kagome had to give her opinion, she'd say the Domino residents were a fair bit ruder and a whole lot more naïve than the people in Tokyo and other places in Japan.

After wading through the crowd for a while, she quickly broke free upon seeing the exit she wanted and made a dash for it. Her favorite coffee shop was located near Domino Station, and she really wanted her daily dose of caffeine before anyone could stop her.

"As long as they're not here, I might as well," the raven smirked as she entered the quaint but busy coffee house and quickly lined up to order her favorite latte. Morning tea just didn't cut it for her when it came to waking her up; but her mother and godmother had kind of banned her from drinking coffee related drinks after nearly a week of consecutive all-nighters last winter.

After ordering and the following wait, she was all too happy to receive her double espresso latte with whipped cream and Italian roast drizzle. Taking a sip from the hot beverage, she couldn't help but smile at the taste. The authentic European flavor reminded her of the ones she would almost constantly drink during the year she had lived in France.

Once she was out of the shop, Kagome checked her custom-made watch again. If her estimation was right, the practical half of Duel Academy's entrance exam should already be half finished by now.

And if she left now, she would get to Domino City Park just before the appointed meeting time with her godfather.

Glancing around, the raven checked that the majority of her hair was still hidden under cap before she took off at a run. Her white sneakers silently pounded against the concrete as she sprinted to her destination.

* * *

Walking around the park where he was supposed to meet Tokyo's Ace Princess, Yugi thought about his friendship with the imposing CEO of Kaiba Corporation and his life since Atem had departed for the afterlife.

After the pharaoh had left, he had studied hard to get into a good university, and had eventually been accepted into the prestigious University of Tokyo as a scholarship student double majoring in game design and history with a concentration on Ancient Egypt. At the same time he had also finally entered the second stage of puberty, growing taller and more similar in appearance to the departed pharaoh.

Over the years, he and Seto had become closer friends. Their friendship had actually reached a point where their trust in each other ran deeper than the one he formerly shared with Jonouchi Katsuya. Their trust ran so deep that they were entrusted with the role of godfather of each other's children.

On the other hand, he had, surprisingly or not, had a falling out with Jonouchi, Honda, and maybe even more unexpectedly Anzu. Currently, he wasn't on speaking terms with his three former best friends, but he remained close with Bakura Ryo, Kawai Shizuka, and Otogi Ryuji. He had even attended Ryo and Shizuka's son's birthday party last month.

Possibly due to him going off to university and his move to Bunkyo, Tokyo for his education, he and the two less intelligent Domino City boys had drifted apart. His closer friendship with Seto and his goals and priorities in life were too different from Jonouchi and Honda. And despite everything they had gone through together, the blond and the buzz cut brunette never seemed to learn from their experiences.

Though he had been rather naïve and a little too optimistic during his time with Atem, he had grown out of it and matured throughout his final year in high school and throughout his years in Tokyo. He couldn't say it was the same with his childhood friend though.

With Anzu, he couldn't even say how their relationship was anymore. When he had finally entered puberty in their third year, he lost most if not all romantic notions he originally had for the tall brunette. When the dancer had finally showed some interest in him, he was never sure that she was interested in him for himself or for Atem.

And although he had remained friends with her because of their history together, he was never able to fully trust her again. She had done too many things that placed her in danger with the sole intention of calling out Atem. In the end, he lost touch with the aspiring dancer in his second year of university after she had moved overseas to study professional dance in New York. He didn't know how she was doing now, or if she was even still alive.

Well, he suppose it was a good thing he gave up on pursuing Anzu. Otherwise he probably would have never given into Rebecca Hopkins' affections, and married her fifteen years ago. He currently had two sons and a daughter, with his oldest, Takeo, being the same age as Souta.

Though Rebecca had been rather bratty and unreasonable during their first meeting, the younger duelist proved to be much more mature and intelligent than his original group of just Jonouchi, Honda, and Anzu. She even proved to be a better match for him than Anzu could ever possibly be.

With Rebecca, he, at the very least, knew for a fact that his wife loved him for himself and not for another.

He chuckled to himself whenever he remembered how Atem had assured him that Rebecca only loved him, and not the Millennium Puzzle's spirit. The pharaoh had told him how the American champion had torn into the spirit when the Egyptian had lost his soul during the whole Dartz fiasco.

His only reservations about getting involved with the former American champion had been their age difference and their cultural differences.

Though he had confessed to her when the American had turned sixteen, he had refused to pursue a physical relationship with her until she was at least eighteen. Rebecca's very open display of affections also had taken some time getting used to, but he didn't have to worry too much about their difference in culture. By the time they had officially started dating, Rebecca had already fully immersed herself in Japanese culture and society, having moved to Domino City to work as an archaeology researcher and professor at Domino University when she was sixteen.

Remembering his wife's line of work, he couldn't help but think about his closest friend, and their four years together at the University of Tokyo. Those four years were some of the best in his life, probably only second to the time he had spent with Atem, when he married Rebecca, and the birth of his three children.

He had actually been rather shocked when he had realized Seto was in his game design class at Todai. It was only later on that he learned that the taller duelist had also been accepted at the elite university and was, unsurprisingly, majoring in business and game design.

Thinking back on it now, he probably shouldn't have been as surprised as he had been. After all, Seto had always been at the top of their class despite his many absences for company meetings, but he had always expected the younger duelist to go abroad for his college education.

Aside from him and Seto becoming real friends with each other, he supposed the best parts of his university years were making new friends and just learning everything he could.

There were two particular things from that time that particularly stood out in his mind. The first had been learning that the number one school in academics and athletics in Japan was actually a safe haven for all things supernatural. He and Seto literally had no idea how much trouble Issei Institute and its students had to go through to keep everyone in Japan safe. This, of course, was all learned from Rebecca, who was an alumnus from Issei's USA sister school, Academy 51.

According to his wife, several students from either Issei or its sister schools always participated in the organized Duel Monster tournaments to regulate supernatural activity; however, the original Battle City Tournament and the Duelist Kingdom Tournament had apparently been the most hectic and chaotic ones the paranormal organizations have ever had to deal with.

The other thing that had stood out during his university years was Seto's courtship of one Higurashi Fumiko; the only woman to have ever been able to capture the CEO's hard heart.

Even after learning about Kisara, the original keeper of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Seto's heart and affections never strayed from Fumiko. When he saw the blue-eyed couple together, he can firmly say that the CEO never looked at another woman the same way he looked at his Higurashi wife.

From his perspective, the couple's courtship had been a rather amusing one. The Higurashi clan particularly Fumiko's two older brothers, Fuminori and Fumihiro, and her best friend and mentor, Hisakata Kimie now Hisakata-Taisho Kimie, presented various challenges for Seto to overcome before he had finally been accepted as Fumiko's boyfriend and later husband. Some of the challenges had been particularly difficult or often lead to embarrassing situations.

He laughed as an image of the blue-eyed duelist covered in honey and feathers came to mind; that had been a rather nasty prank by Fumiko's friends.

Although he had not known that the pair had been dating prior to his third year at Domino High, he had first met Fumiko during the KC Grand Prix welcoming party. During the party, he had been surprised when the gentle and seemly raven had not only stopped Vivian Wong's antics, but had also soundly put the actress in her place. He hadn't known at the time, but the party had not only been the raven's first job as a professional event planner but had also been her and Seto's first date together.

From what Mokuba had told him, the pair's first meeting had been a rather unpleasant one, and had been shortly after the Duelist Kingdom fiasco when Fumiko had been an event coordinator intern at Domino City Museum.

According to Mokuba, the Higurashi had saved him from some kidnappers and stayed with him until his older brother had arrived. But with Seto being as hot-headed as he was, he had mistaken Fumiko as one of the kidnappers, which had led to a heated argument between the two high schoolers.

After the giving their statements to the police, Fumiko had disappeared without either Kaiba brother knowing her name or whereabouts.

When the brothers had returned to the police to ask about the edoko (Tokyoite; a child born and raised in Tokyo and from a family that has been in Tokyo for generations), the officers refused to divulge her name or information. The reason was likely due to her being the younger sister of Higurashi Fuminori, the youngest superintendent general of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, and the officers' respect for the Higurashi family.

Following their first encounter, Fumiko and the two Kaiba brothers continuously ran into each other, and each time the Higurashi would leave them without her name or any clue as to who she was. The mystery of her identity created an obsession in the elder Kaiba to find and learn about her. The obsession was supposedly stronger than the Egyptian reincarnation's bond with the Blue-Eyes White Dragon.

From his perspective, the blue-eyed couple's relationship from beginning to end was extremely amusing and romantic. Sort of like a comedic romance drama, albeit a slightly scary one. Scary because of Fumiko's friends and family, and because of the extreme measures Seto had taken to find his bride.

But overall, the pair's courtship was, as his wife would say, a fairy tale. Despite all the interrogations, pranks, and near impossible tasks he underwent, the CEO never gave up and willingly braved them all for the privilege to take the Higurashi scion's hand in marriage.

Yugi shook his head as he thought about the Higurashi-Kaiba couple. As an outsider looking in, he couldn't understand how Seto was able to screw up his marriage so much.

Yes, he had always known the taller man was protective of his family and company, but after Kagome's first kidnapping the younger man became too overprotective.

Seto had taken drastic measures to protect his small family. He had moved his family first to America then to France and to Hong Kong before finally returning to Japan. Not only that, but he would purposely take on more extended business trips and go to Duel Monster Tournaments away from home so that the media and rival companies would not be able to connect his family to him.

The CEO distanced himself from his family so much that Fumiko had filed for legal separation, no longer able to stand the lack of contact or the many lonely nights.

The King of Games sighed again. His best friend's marriage was on the rocks; and although the couple was attempting to mend their rift, Fumiko may still file for divorce, breaking a Higurashi clan taboo, if the eldest Kaiba could not prove his true feelings.

His godchildren and their mother had been led to believe for far too long that Seto cared more for his favorite card game than he did about his own wife and children.

That belief was also the reason behind his and the elder Kaiba's predicament with Kagome. The Kaiba heiress pretty much hated her formerly favorite game, blaming it for breaking up her family. Though the raven, who looked so much like her mother, still sometimes enjoyed dueling with him and some of her friends and cousins from her father's side of the family, it was heartbreaking for him and her father to know she hated the game they love.

Looking back at the main Kaiba Corporation building, the tri-colored duelist considered the conversation he had had with his best friend. He couldn't say he agreed with what Seto and Fumiko had planned. It certainly wouldn't have been what he'd suggest the couple do to release their daughter of her hatred, but he would remain supportive of their plan.

In contrast, he was sure that his goddaughter had been terribly upset with the news last month. He knew how much Kagome loved and enjoyed attending Issei Institute. Then again, if he had been able to attend a school that catered to his talents, interests, and learning abilities, he would have loved learning there too.

Truth be told, he and Seto actually should had attended Issei for their own spiritual abilities. It was just unfortunate that Issei's scouting methods back then had not been as efficient or effective as it was today.

Sighing again, the corners of his mouth momentarily turning down in a frown. The issues in the Higurashi-Kaiba family had him sighing a lot more than he was used to.

Shaking his head at the unneeded thought, he listened to the calls from his Duel Monsters deck and the chattering of his many Duel Spirits. Hearing three particular cries, he smiled as the spirits of his Kuriboh and two Winged Kuriboh cards materialized beside him.

When he had gotten his first Winged Kuriboh card four years ago, he had promised Kagome that if he ever got a hold of a second copy, he would give it to her. Now that the Kaiba heiress had completed the first term of her final year in high school, he had planned to gift it to her as a present. Knowing how upset his goddaughter probably was with the current situation, he hoped having Winged Kuriboh would cheer her up a little.

"…Watch out!" a young males shouted as the sound skidding feet followed.

Hearing the warning, Yugi turned towards the source of the sound, and was barely able to brace himself before a body collided into him. He watched bemusedly as the teenager bounced off of him. What could possibly put the younger male in such a rush? It was summer vacation for a majority of the schools in Japan after all.

"Gomen," the brunette apologized as he picked up his scattered belongings.

Noticing the duel disk and Duel Monster cards, the King of Games asked, "So, I take it that you duel then?"

As he spoke his second Winged Kuriboh moved in front of him and began gesturing wildly to the teenager, making its desire obvious. He didn't know why his third Kuriboh wanted to be with the young duelist, but there must have been a good reason. He knew he likely wouldn't go against the little Duel Monster's wish, but he was hesitant to pass it on to the young man instead of his goddaughter.

After all, this particular Winged Kuriboh was one of his last hopes of getting Kagome to love their favorite card game again. He had a feeling that the Duel Spirit would have a large impact on several duelists in the next generation. Whether the effects Winged Kuriboh caused were for better or worse, the Duel Monster had the ability to create change in people much like how his goddaughter did.

The only kink in that plan was that Kagome had subconsciously sealed away part of her memories and spiritual sight five years ago, rendering her incapable of seeing, much less interacting with, Duel Spirits.

"Ah, I'm trying out for the Duel Academy," the boy answered as he picked up the last of his cards.

Hearing that answer, Yugi felt himself relent a little and his hand moved towards where he kept his Duel Monsters deck. Given that this boy is actually accepted at the Kaiba family owned school, he suppose he wouldn't mind passing it on to him too much. His second Winged Kuriboh would still be at the same school as Kagome after all, and it'll hopefully still be able to help her.

While his three Kuribohs chatter amongst themselves as if they were saying goodbye to each other, he felt an internal sigh build within him. He just knew his goddaughter was going to be really disappointed; she didn't like broken promises, but he hoped she would understand.

The boy laughed as he stood up before recognition hit him. "H-hey, you're..."

The recognition in the teenager's voice tone snapped Yugi out of his conflicting thoughts. Realizing that he needed to get out of here fast, he quickly took out his newest Winged Kuriboh card. Like his goddaughter, he easily garnered the attention of others through his accomplishments, but like in high school, he didn't like or know how to handle the fame too well.

"This is a lucky card," the veteran duelist said as he handed the card to the teenager. "It seems like it wants to be by your side."

He didn't wait for the boy to respond as he hastily made his exit. "Do your best," he encouraged as he walked around the young duelist.

"Ano… arigato gozaimashita!" Yugi heard the boy call out to him when he was a distance away, and briefly gave a thumbs up in acknowledgement before continuing his fast paced retreat.

Not even a moment later, the King of Games chuckled as a panicked shout from the prospective Duel Academy student rang through the air.

Knowing that he was no longer in danger of being swarmed, the Duel King returned to walking at a leisurely pace, and began making his way to the other end of the park. Checking his phone, Yugi noticed that it was nearly time for him to meet up with his goddaughter.

Arriving at the appointed meeting place, Yugi checked his cellphone and noted the time. It was already nearing noon, and Kagome was still nowhere in sight.

"I hope that boy will make it to the exam in time," he said to himself as he took up a spot by the park's wishing fountain. "There isn't much I can do if he's late."

"If who's late, Yugi-oji-sama?" a voice asked from behind him, startling the King of Duelists.

"Kagome-chan," he scolded as soon as his heart returned to his chest. "How many times have I told not scare me like that."

"A lot," Kagome snickered. "But it's the same with you, oji-sama. It's Gome, not Kagome," she huffed. She hated it when her family and close friends called her by the Japanese translation of her name. She was no caged bird.

"Right, right. Your actual name is closer to that pronunciation than the katakana translation."

"Ne, oji-sama who were you talking about just now? It wasn't about me, was it?"

"Oh that's right. Could you do me a favor?"

"What for?" the Ace Princess blinked, her curiosity sparking. It was rare for her godfather to ask for anything. The older duelist was pretty self-sufficient, and didn't particularly like asking for help if he could help it.

"I ran into a Duel Academy examinee not too long ago," Yugi began.

"An examinee? They shouldn't be out for another hour or so," the blue-eyed teen said as she checked her wristwatch. "Chronos-oji-san isn't going to accept anyone who comes to the exam late."

"About that... I was hoping you could make a few calls."

"You mean you want me to pull some strings for the examinee," she deadpanned at the request. Seeing the pleading look, Kagome sighed as she took her cellphone from her bag and pressed a button to turn on the screen. "I'll call Samejima-oji-san and a few of the proctors," she relented.

The king released a breath in relief as he watched his goddaughter walk a small distance from him to make the calls. He needed to distract Kagome from asking for the Duel Monsters card, and he knew there was a chance that the heiress might throw a fit over the loss of her promised card.

"Moshi moshi!" Kagome greeted as she made her final call. "Eh, there's apparently an examinee running late due to the train accident today. Yugi-oji-sama ran into him not too long ago, and we're both a little worried that he might not be able to take his test."

"Un, we'll leave it up to you, Samejima-oji-san. I'll see you in a couple weeks," the professional duelist smiled as she ended the call.

"It's done, Yugi-oji-sama," Kagome stated as she slipped her phone back into her purse.

"Arigato, Gome-chan. Why don't we head to the Space Burger in the Fountain Plaza?" Yugi suggested when his goddaughter came back. "You can tell me about this game idea you have for Seto over lunch before our weekly training session. You have a pro duel waiting for you tonight, ne?"

"Un! Actually, I was wondering if you could help me set the game up. Chichiue's going to be the first to play…"

* * *

"At last, the big match has come to fruition. Achieving her desire to reach the top ranks in the last week and having created and played over seventy unique decks, the undefeated Ace Princess of the Pro League and the Asia Champion, A. Higurashi!" the announcer spoke through the Kaiba Dome speakers. "What deck will she be playing today? One of her previous decks or will it be another new one?!"

"And facing her is one of the world's strongest veteran duelists! A previous Asia Champion, a competitor of the inaugural KC Grand Prix, and the reigning Duel Queen of Asia, Vivian Wong! Just what kind of dueling will these two tenacious ladies show us in tonight's title match? Will it be the princess or the current queen who will come out supreme?"

"This is so boring to think I'm going up against a little girl like you. I hope you can give me a good duel, chibi-chan," the pure Chinese woman stated.

"I'll show you little, you old hag," Kagome hissed under her breath as her toes curled in her white platform ankle boots. She was no longer in the baseball themed outfit she had worn earlier, and had changed into a dark grey dress that had small light pink and periwinkle flowers embroidered throughout the layered flare skirt. The dress had been a gift from Yuuki-senpai, one of her favorite upperclassmen and OB. "I hope you can defend your title from me, oba-san. You're not as popular as you used to be, you arrogant panda!"

"Duel!" the two women shouted as they took the starting hand of five cards.

"My turn; draw!" Kagome smiled as she saw the monster card she had drawn. "I'll play **House Duston** in Defense Mode, and I'll equip it with the Spell card, **Magicalized Duston Mop**. And I'll end my turn with two cards facedown," she stated as five colored Dustons and the two Spell/Trap cards materialized on the dueling field.

"A 0-ATK monster? What is Ace thinking?! Is this going to be a throw-away duel?" the announcers yelled into the microphone in disbelief.

Vivian laughed as she started her turn. "Thanks for giving me such an easy win! I'll end this duel in one turn," the former Kung Fu champion gloated.

"My turn; draw! I'll summon **Swordsman of the Dark Demon World, Dark Sword** in Attack Mode. I'll equip him with the Spell card **Lightning Saber** , not only giving my **Dark Sword** a 300 ATK bonus, but once he destroys your little Duston he can attack your Life Points directly. Next, I'll play the Quick-Spell, **Flying Dragon Whirl**. By sending four Dragon-Type monsters from my Deck to the Graveyard, I can raise my **Dark Sword** 's ATK by 1200 points, bringing his ATK to 3300! I'll also equip him with **Meteor Strike** to deliver piercing damage!"

" **Dark Sword** destroy that puny Duston monster of hers!" Vivian ordered as the ominous looking Warrior-Type monster charged at the 0-ATK monster.

"Reverse card, open! **Holy Life Barrier**! By discarding one card from my hand, all damage I take this turn will be reduced to 0!" Kagome interrupted as she placed her remaining monster card in the graveyard slot.

"Not so fast! I play **Mystical Space Typhoon** to destroy your Trap! Now the damage will still go through!" the older woman laughed.

"You must be getting really old to have missed my other facedown, Wong-san. I activate **Curse of Royal**! When a Spell or Trap card's effect includes the destruction of one of my Spell or Traps, I can activate this card to negate and destroy that card instead!" the princess declared as ghostly skulls emitted from the newly revealed Trap card and the Spell card shattered. "With this **Holy Life Barrier** 's effect continues through."

With the resolve of the Trap and Spell cards, Dark Sword continue its battle with House Duston, obliterating the monster and its equipped Spell card.

" **House Duston** 's effect activates! When **House Duston** is destroyed by my opponent's monster or card effect, I can Special Summon any number of Duston monsters from my deck to anywhere on the field as long as there is an equal number on both sides. And I'll summon three **White Dustons** and another **House Duston** to my side of the field in Defense Mode while giving you **Yellow Duston** , **Blue Duston** , **Red Duston** , and **Green Duston** all in Attack Mode!" As she spoke all eight Duston monsters appeared on the duel field.

Panic showed on the reigning Duel Queen's face as her remaining monster zones became filled. Her disgust was evident as the floating dust balls were placed under her control.

"And with the destruction of **Magicialized Duston Mop** , I can add one Duston monster from my Deck to my hand," Kagome declared as she picked her favorite Duston monster out from her deck. "I should tell you now. **Red, Green, Blue, and Yellow Dustons** cannot be tribute, and if they are destroyed, they each come with their own penalty."

"Che, I'll equip **Dark Sword** with the Equip Spell, **Raregold Armor** , and I'll end my turn with one facedown card," Vivian scoffed at having her easy victory stolen from her.

"Not such an easy win, now is it?" the Kaiba heiress taunted, her temporarily purple eyes glistened challengingly. "My turn; draw! I'll start off by sacrificing my three **White Dustons** and my **House Duston** to Special Summon one Duston monster from my hand. **Let's go, Starduston!** "

When the black dust ball monster appeared on the field, it danced around Kagome's head before settling in its monster zone. It was relatively small compared to the other four Duston monsters on the field, but the star on its forehead showed why it was given its name.

"So what? It's just another 0-ATK shrimp," the queen sneered. "It's not like it can do anything to me."

Kagome smirked, " **Starduston** 's ATK is 1000 multiplied by the amount of Duston monsters I send to the **Cemetery** for its summoning. And I sent four of them."

"4-4-4000 ATK?!" Vivian screeched in disbelief. As the older duelist was in shock, Starduston grew nearly ten times its size and now towered over Swordsman of the Dark Demon World, Dark Sword.

Shaking off her shock, the Duel Queen snapped, "Even with a 4000 ATK monster, I'll still have Life Points left."

The smirk returned as the contact lens wearing girl announced her next move. "Shows what you know. I play **Opti-Camouflage Armor**. This Equip-Spell can only be used with a Level 1 monster, and allows the equipped monster to attack my opponent directly."

"But I have **Raregold Armor** equipped!"

" **Raregold Armor** 's effect only applies if I'm attacking one of your other monster. **Starduston** attack Wong-san directly!"

The stardust monster swiftly darted over to Vivian, jumping over the heads of the other five monsters on the field.

"You're getting ahead of yourself, chibi-chan! Reverse card, open! **Attack Nullification**! With this the Battle will end!"

"It's useless! **Starduston** 's special effect prevents my opponent from activating any set Spell or Trap cards! **Starduston,** _ **Cosmic Air**_!" Kagome ordered her monster.

Glittering black smoke wafted off the Duston monster, and it swiftly filled the arena grounds of the Kaiba Dome. Whispers, shouts, and wonderment burst out around the stadium as the arena took on the image of a dark night filled with bright stars, showing off Starduston's name and why it was the star of the Duston monsters.

As if on cue, the darkness disappeared from the stadium and all at once transformed into an air current that concentrated around and surrounded Vivian Wong. The older duelist's cheongsam lifted in the Solid Vision generated wind, and former Asia Champion's form disappeared in the twister.

When the black stardust and wind had dispersed, Vivian had fallen to her knees and her Life Points had been reduced to zero

"I can't believe I lost!" the pure Chinese woman whined as she began crying tears of frustration.

"There we have it! A new Duel Queen has been born! The Ace Princess has now been crowned the Duel Queen!"

Kagome tuned out the rest of the announcer's speech and waved to her fans in the audience, graciously accepting their cheers and applauses, as she walked off the dueling field. She occasionally stopped to talk with some of the children that were eager to speak with her and sign autographs for the fans that had crowded around the staff only entrance. Being a high ranking duelist and one of the few females in the Pro League, not to mention her uncanny resemblance to Lady Luck's Kotori and the idol Mika, made Kagome extremely popular with the masses.

When the door to the staff entrance closed behind her, the raven breathed out in relief finally being able to relax and get away from all the Duel Monsters craze. Irritation radiated off the fifteen-year-old as she thought back on the day and her opponent.

' _According to what Yugi-oji-sama and Rebecca-oba-sama have told me, Wong-san hasn't changed much since they first met her. Still an uppity whiner from what I see,'_ the newly crowned Duel Queen groused as she walked down the hallways towards the front atrium of the Kaiba Dome. _'Can't believe she was so stupid to give up her entire career as an actress, only to duel for the last decade.'_

Because of her rocky relationship with her father, the Kaiba heiress never had a high opinion of people whose only occupation was being a duelist in the Pro League. The only professional duelists that she cared about had additional careers outside of dueling such as being a jewelry crafter and designer, a corporation executive, and a professional athlete. Even she had several other occupations and professions to fill when not dueling, and she was still in high school.

Aside from having to duel today with a virtual stranger, she was irked by the loss of her promised Winged Kuriboh. She had been trying to get her hands on the rare Level 1 monster for the better part of five years now. Not only did she find it irresistibly cute (she had a couple plushies of it back in Tokyo), but it was the only card she needed to finish the Kuriboh deck she had been working on.

Noticing how close she was now to the atrium entrance, Kagome took a deep breath and recomposed herself, not allowing her annoyance for this card game craze to show.

As she stepped out of the hallway, Kagome's attitude and composure completely changed, becoming the eloquent, graceful, and well-mannered woman that was the Ace Princess; the perfect lady from a noble house by both East-Asian and European standards.

When the reporters noticed her, she was immediately swarmed by the media. Lights flashed as cameras shutters clicked repeatedly, and the reporters fired off question after question until all the duelist heard was a blur of words.

Kagome only smiled through all the torture, and waited for the reporters to calm down before she began responding to their queries.

"As usual, that was a magnificent victory."

"Thank you. I suppose it was a good duel, but for someone crowned Duel Queen, I had expected her to be more of a challenge. I think it could have gone better if the former queen had done a little studying before our match today."

"This time you used a Duston deck, ne? Was there any particular reason why you chose to showcase a deck of low-level monsters? And why do you continue to use a different deck for every duel?"

Kagome chuckled softly with a coy smile as she answered jokingly, "Do I really need a reason?"

The reporters laughed along at her response.

"There's actually a reason why I chose to use my Duston deck today. I don't like it when people look down on others very much, and from what I know of the former Duel Queen, Wong-san generally belittles her opponents if they are not men or do not meet her standards. I know there are some people who don't agree with or like my methods, but I wanted to show Wong-san and my fans that anyone, even a weakling can come out a winner. All anyone needs to do is keep an open mind and be creative enough to find a way."

"What do you plan to do now that you've beaten the best woman duelist in the Pro League?"

"Well, I'll be taking a break from the Pro League until after my birthday."

"And just why might that be, if you don't mind me asking?"

"No, I don't mind at all. As some already learned, I'm a member of one of Issei Institute's sports teams, and tomorrow is the start of the second week of the summer national sports competitions. So after tonight, I want to put all my focus on my school competition."

"But why for so long if the competition is only for a week?"

"Well a month isn't exactly a very long time, but I'm enrolling in Issei's exchange program and I'd like to take the time to assimilate into my new surroundings."

"Issei Institute's exchange program allows students to physically attend other schools while keeping up with Issei's intensive coursework, right?"

"That's correct."

"Which school will you be attending?"

"I don't really think that's any of your concern. I'd like to keep my private life private. Thank you very much."

"Just when are you going to reveal your name to us, Ace? The people have been waiting years since your World Junior League debut to learn who you are!"

"Perhaps next month after my birthday," Kagome answered, her smile turning secretive. "I'd be more than happy to answer everyone's questions at the next interview, but for now I would very much like to head home and rest for tomorrow's competition. After all, I am still just a high school student, and there's a very long commute to Tokyo ahead of me."

With that said, the newly crowned Duel Queen left the reporters and exited the Kaiba Dome. She didn't pay the complaining photographers or interviewers any mind as she boarded the helicopter provided by Kaiba Corporation.

The raven sighed as the helicopter took off, glad to be away from all the Duel Monster insanity. She hadn't been lying about her sports meet the following day, but her commute to Tokyo wouldn't be until tomorrow morning. She just didn't want to deal with strangers and the craziness longer than she necessarily had to.

As her flight drew closer to its destination, she felt dread curl in her stomach. Though she may love her father and Uncle Mokuba, she didn't want to spend the night at the Kaiba Chateau with either of them. She could already guess what the two elder Kaiba's would say about the duel, and she didn't want to hear any of it.

Kagome scowled at that thought, bearing a striking resemblance to her father in that moment. She would rather not talk to either males if all they wanted to talk about was that stupid card game. For once, she'd like to be able to have a normal conversation with her father and uncle without it revolving around Duel Monsters or business.

Frustrated tears pricked her eyes. She just wanted her family back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was originally going to have two duel scenes in here, but the first was unneeded length and wouldn't help the chapter flow to the next scene. If you have a problem with me having an intense dislike for Anzu, Honda, and Jounochi, please take a hike. I could really care less about your opinion on my opinions.


	3. Memorable Departure

Two weeks have passed since Kagome had her title match duel with former Duel Queen Vivian Wong, and a lot had happened since then.

Looking around her room, Kagome couldn't help but sigh as nostalgia hit her. Although it wasn't barren like the time she had moved out of Issei's junior high dormitory the other year, the belongings she would be leaving behind made her all the more depressed. They were precious mementos and knickknacks she had collected over the seven years she, her mother, and Souta had moved in with their maternal family.

Aside from those trinkets and keepsakes, she would also be leaving behind her clothes minus the ones that she was making for her course work.

The last time she had been in Domino City, her father had notified her that she needn't bother packing anything outside of her training clothes and gear, electronics, and Duel Monster cards.

She scoffed at that memory, but shrugged it off. The notice had made her suspicious, but if her father wanted to surprise her with something, she might as well let him. She was going along with one plan already, even if she saw no point in leaving for a school she didn't want to attend in the first place.

The raven glanced about her room before her gaze settled on the periwinkle colored walls. Her nose wrinkled as she was reminded of when she and Souta had moved in with their grandfather, and of the disgusting shade of pink that had formerly adorned her bedroom walls.

* * *

_ Flashback _

_**Higurashi Shrine, Tokyo, Japan 7 Years Prior** _

" _Mama?" an eight-year-old Kagome called out loudly from her place near the Goshinboku, one of the most sacred and spiritually powerful objects on the shrine. The little girl twirled around in her sunset orange summer dress as she waited for her mother to answer her. Unlike the other times she had visited, there was no one for the Kaiba heiress to play with as her Higurashi cousins were all away at school for the day._

" _Yes, Akemi?" answered Fumiko as she and Souta, who at that time was four years old, climbed the final step and entered the shrine grounds._

" _Why are we at Obaa-chan's shrine?" Kagome asked as she turned to face her mother. Though her grandmother had passed away not too long ago, the Higurashi Shrine or Higurashi-jingu would always belong to her grandmother and maternal family. It would never belong to someone without Higurashi blood like her grandfather._

" _Yeah!" Souta piped in from his place next to his mother._ _ **"Why are we at Obaa-chan's?"**_ _His question coming out in a mix of French and Cantonese, a byproduct of his life abroad._

" _Ano... well," started Fumiko nervously as she tried to answer her children. "We'll be staying with Jii-chan until Papa comes home."_

" _But Papa always comes home," Kagome complained as she ran over to her mother._

" _Yeah," Souta agreed._

" _Well... does Papa always stay at home with us?" the children's mother asked in Japanese despite the two's repeated mixing of their native and learned languages._

_The two siblings shared a look and took some time to think before they simultaneously answered,_ _**"Non."** _

" _Well that's why we're staying here until he does," Fumiko stated with finality._

" _But where's Edo? He's not staying with Papa by himself is he?" the heiress asked, feeling jealous that her best friend might be spending time with her father when she couldn't._

" _Iie, Edo-chan's returning to America with Pegasus-san," the mother of two replied, already sensing the jealousy her daughter may be feeling towards the little boy, whom she had grown to see as another son. "Now come along. We have to see Jii-chan," she said as she ushered the two children pass the shrine buildings and towards the main residence of the Higurashi clan in Metropolitan Tokyo._

" _Yes, Mama," the siblings chimed together before racing off to the modernized but still traditional Japanese styled manor that was erected at the back center of the shrine property._

_Once the trio neared the house, the children spotted their grandfather waiting for them at the entrance. Immediately the two siblings raced over towards their grandfather, all the while crying out, "Jii-chan!" at the top of their lungs._

_When the pair reached their grandfather, Kagome and Souta were careful as they hugged him in getting. Their grandparent was old, and their mother was the youngest of his three children with a ten year age gap between her and his two sons. With that age, it was a wonder how the siblings' Chinese great-grandmother was still alive and well._

" _Okaeri nasai," their grandfather greeted good naturedly as he stumbled from the impact. "I have something for the both of you to keep the nasty, evil yokai away," the old man said as he reached into his priest robes._

" _But I like yokai," Kagome complained, shoving away the mummified mystery item her grandfather tried to give her. "Aniki and Kimie-okaa-sama are daiyokai!"_

" _ **Yokai are cool!"**_ _Souta added in Manadrin._

_Fumiko giggled at the interaction between her father and children before she gently scolded them, "Takahiro (_ _貴浩_ _), you have to speak Japanese when you're with Jii-chan. Akemi, you both can't keep mixing your languages together when speaking with others. They're not always going to be able to understand you."_

" _Yes, Mama," the two children answered finally speaking in just one language._

" _It's fine, Fumiko," the adopted Higurashi waved off. "Let them talk in whatever language they want. Constantly switching between languages is good for their brains."_

" _Otou-san!"_

" _We did the same thing with you and your brothers. At these two little ones' ages, it's critical for them to learn and know as many languages as they can. In the long run, their minds are going to be able to process and learn new information better and faster."_

_Fumiko couldn't help but sigh at that answer, but her father was correct about that. The old man had been a psychology professor prior to marrying Higurashi Chie/Zhihui and being adopted into the Higurashi family. It was rather ironic that he had been growing senile over the last several years._

" _Even though that's true, they need to learn that not everyone they talk to will be able to understand them if they keeping switching between languages mid-sentence. And if you want them to be smarter, please talk to and treat them like everyone else. You know baby talk only slows down a child's brain development."_

" _It's okay if they're exposed to it every once in a while," the old man brushed off in a weak attempt to defend himself._

" _Otou-san," Fumiko glared. She loved her father, but she didn't want her children to grow up dumb either, not that she really had to worry about that._

" _Maa maa," the children's grandfather laughed nervously. "Why don't I show these two their rooms? Satoshi-kun, Shin-kun, and Kikyo-chan worked really hard in getting them ready for you."_

_Throughout the interaction between the two adults, Souta and Kagome couldn't help but observe and study their relative's body language and voice tone, the latter did so more closely than the former. Despite their young age, the two company heirs were being trained by their Uncle Fuminori and Aunt Miyako to recognize other people's intentions in order to avoid kidnappings and other more dangerous matters._

_Unlike her younger brother, Kagome had a greater understanding of their surroundings and the situation at hand. Recognizing the tone and tactic her grandfather used as one her godfather and Uncle Mokuba often used, the almost nine-year-old couldn't help but declare, "Jii-chan's trying to escape!"_

_The grey-haired Higurashi froze at his granddaughter's accusation, and didn't move until his daughter spoke._

" _It's alright, Akemi," Fumiko sighed, softly petting the little girl's hair. "Jii-chan isn't trying to do anything bad. Let's go see your new rooms, ne? I bet they'll be better than the old guest rooms you're both accustomed to staying in."_

" _Okay!" the little girl chirped, eager to see her and Souta's new bedrooms. She happily skipped into the house after her brother and grandfather, barely remembering to change her kitten wedge sandals for indoor slippers in her rush to see the rooms._

_Though the guest rooms were always clean and ready for guests, they were too traditionally Japanese and unmodern for Kagome's taste. The washitsu rooms made her feel as if she was staying at an old country inn instead of with her family especially since each guest room can easily accommodate twenty people with decent space between beddings. Plus, she just could not get use to sleeping on the first floor. The first floor was generally the easiest place for burglars and psychos to break into; and her room at her other homes had always been on the second floor or higher._

_Grandpa Higurashi, despite his old age, moved fast and nimbly, and quickly led his daughter and grandchildren upstairs and down the necessary hallways to reach the third floor. In their trek, the group passed by paintings, portraits, and photographs that depicted the Higurashi clan's history and the history of the residing families. The group also passed by Fumiko and her two older brothers', Fuminori and Fumihiro, rooms, which with the dojo, meditation room, and the large bath made up the entire second floor._

_As they ascended the next floor the Kaiba siblings couldn't help but notice that their grandparents' home was different from the last time they had come for a visit. Aside from the furniture and wall decoration, everything looked and felt strange. Unlike before, everything now looked exactly the same._

_Looking over his shoulders, Grandpa Higurashi did all he could to suppress his amusement at his grandchildren's confused expression. However, the reason that caused the children's confusion promptly killed his amusement._

_Because of the Kagome's kidnapping and multiple kidnapping attempts that followed, Fuminori and Fumihiro had discussed security plans when they heard their little sister was moving back into their childhood home. In an effort to keep the six children safe, all six were given their own bedroom on the third floor, and their rooms were arranged so that the four older children occupied the four corner bedrooms with Souta and Kaede's rooms between theirs. The policeman had even been able to arrange it so that the danger prone Kaiba heiress had been placed between his two sons, Shin and Satoshi, to ensure that she wouldn't be kidnapped again._

_Not only that, but the third and second floors had been remodeled to give the children more security. All the interior doors minus the ones for the dojo, meditation room, and the guest rooms were replaced with doors that looked completely identical to one another. Though the windows retained their original appearance, they had also been replaced and their glass had been switched out for one-way mirrors to prevent outsiders from peering in. Hiding places and secret passages had also been added throughout the house as well as some protective traps._

_Once at the end of the first hall, the quartet stopped at a western style door way. Like all the others doors on the third and second floors, it was made of dark cherry wood. Grandpa Higurashi said as he unlocked and the pushed it open, "This is Souta-kun's room."_

_As soon as that sentence had left their grandfather's mouth, Souta charged into the room so that he could explore it himself. His form appearing like a blur to his older relatives._

_With her little brother already inside, Kagome decided to peek into see how the four-year-old's new room looked like. Inside, the room's walls were painted a light pear green with white floor trimmings and the hallway flooring extended into the room. Though she would have to admit the furniture was a bit too big for her baby brother; she supposed the kiddo could grow into them. At least the seats were adjustable, and set to a child's height._

" _Pretty," Kagome whispered as she gazed about Souta's room. It was definitely smaller than any bedroom she and Souta have ever stayed in at their other family estates. But it had a homey feeling to it unlike when they had first moved to Paris. The overall design was also very nicely coordinated considering that it was her older cousins who decorated it._

" _It's not pretty!" Souta objected as he ran around his new room. "It's awesome!" He punctuated his sentence by jumping onto his new bed. Though his rooms at his family's other properties were much larger than this, he enjoyed the simplicity of the place._

" _Well shall we head off to find your room Akemi dear?" asked Fumiko as she called for her daughter._

" _Un," the little girl agreed, and with that the remainder of the group walked further down hall before turning and walking to the end. They passed one door before stopping at the next one._

" _And this is your room, Kagome-chan," her grandfather said as he unlocked the door. Before he could open the door for his granddaughter, his daughter stopped him._

" _Otou-san, why don't we let her explore her new room on her own?" Fumiko suggested, knowing that despite her age, her daughter enjoyed her privacy and taking her time to learn about her new environments._

_Leading her father to the third floor's family room, the Higurashi mother called over her shoulder, "Come find us with Takahiro when you're done exploring, Akemi. We'll be waiting on this floor's family room."_

" _Yes, Mama," the little girl answered as she watched the older Higurashi's leave. She waited until they had turned into another hallway before she turned back to her new bedroom._

_Taking a deep breath, the Kaiba heiress prepared herself for her new living environment._

_Stepping inside, the very first thing Kagome noticed was the blaring pink that had adorned the walls of her bedroom. Her nose wrinkled in disgust at the color; she never understood why adults felt the need to assign the color to girls._

_Getting over her revulsion, she was quick to notice that the room was designed in much the same way as her brother's. Aside from the disturbing shade of pink there weren't many differences. It was mostly the same style as Souta's room as well, but whereas his furniture was a warm brown, hers were snow white. There was also a built in window bench much like the one she had seen at her cousin Gaspard's room back in France._

_However, there was one major difference between the two rooms. Her room had one door more than his._

_Curiosity getting better of her, the little girl walked over and pushed it open. She was pleasantly surprised to find that the door led to a changing room. Spotting the glass door, she guessed that this was technically an en suite. Sliding it open, she found the expected bathing facility with a large bath tub and a separate shower area. As expected of a Japanese home, the toilet and sink were nowhere in sight and were likely to be situated at another part of the floor far from the bedrooms._

_She was definitely going to enjoying taking bubbles baths in the Jacuzzi style bath tub Kagome thought as she re-entered the changing room._

_Although she loved the bathroom, what really caught her attention were the two doors; one on the wall opposite to and another on the wall adjacent to the one that led to her room. She knew where the door on the adjacent wall led to, but the one opposite of hers left her perplexed._

_Heading over to it, Kagome attempted to pull the door open. A frown quickly made its way onto her face when the door wouldn't budge no matter how much she turned the knob or pulled at it._

_Shaking her head, the raven made a mental note to ask her cousin Kai or Uncle Toshi for lock picking lessons the next time she saw them. She didn't like not knowing things, and the mystery behind the other bathroom door was going to keep bugging her until she discovered its secrets._

_Stepping out and away from her new bathroom, Kagome took to exploring the rest of her new room. She tested each piece of furniture, and particularly enjoyed bouncing on her new bed. She squealed in delight as she jumped from her bed to the cream colored cushions of the window bench._

_Finishing her inspection, Kagome headed over towards Souta's room to pick the little boy up. When they were together, the older Kaiba did her best to lead the way through the unfamiliar layout of the remodeled third floor. It took the pair about five minutes of walking and attempting to open doors before they finally found the floor's family room._

" _Mama, Jii-chan!" the siblings called out upon spotting their relatives._

_Rushing over to where their mother and grandfather were seated by the room's chabudai table, the two children immediately began babbling to their mother about their rooms. They chattered rapidly about what they liked about their new rooms, and what they would like to add or change about them._

_Cutting her children off mid-sentence and gathering the two in her arms, Fumiko asked, "So what do you guys think about living here?"_

_The reaction was instantaneous, immediately Souta yelled out with a happy grin, "I love it!"_

" _Me too," Kagome giggled._

_Happy that her children had no problems with their new home, Fumiko let a smile breakout onto her face and said, "Good."_

_ End Flashback _

* * *

Snapping out of her thoughts, Kagome shook her head to push away the memory before making another round of her room. Nearly all her luggage had already been packed into the family car, and all she needed to do left was lock up.

Having checked almost everywhere else and locked her windows, she walked over to the floor-to-ceiling length mirror that was built into the wall. It had the same width as any door in the Higurashi house and was framed in elegantly carved, silver-plated wood.

Placing her hand at an invisible seam, Kagome pulled at the mirror's inner frame. As if it was a door, the mirror's frame easily gave way at the force applied to it and separated from its outer frame. When the mirror's four-inch thick frame fully opened, it revealed a hidden room with an attached secret passage.

The room was one of the many hiding places that had been added to the house during its remodeling. Upon finding it, the Kaiba heiress had almost immediately turned it into a walk-in storage and vault for all her valuables. She had added the mirror to her room to hide the passage way. Being a girl, no outsider would question why she would have or need such a large mirror.

If anyone decided to break the mirror, all they would find would be an acrylic painting she had done of the flying sky lanterns (天燈) of China's Lantern Festival. She had attached the painting to the back of the mirror to ensure that the hiding place would stay hidden.

Stepping into the hidden room, the raven quickly headed over the jewelry armoire that she kept with her other valuables such as her series of inventions, original designs, and group costumes. She pulled one particular drawer open and checked the jewels within its hold. After checking on those particular gems, she proceeded to take inventory on the rest of the jewelry pieces and gadgets she had collected and invented over the years.

When she was sure everything was in its proper place, Kagome placed a hand against the wall nearest to her. As she did so an invisible security panel scanned her handprint; the house's security system was regularly updated with new features often added to the third floor.

Once verification was complete and a series of items selected, walls of metal descended from the ceiling. The area around the raven's jewelry armoire and workshop station were now completely sealed off.

With her valuables secured, the heiress selected another series of items on the security panel before walking out of the room. As soon as she stepped back into her bedroom, a metal vault door slammed shut over the secret entrance.

Closing back up the frame, Kagome could not help but smile as she caught a glance of her room in the mirror's reflection. Turning away from the secret doorway, the game company heiress kept her gaze fixed on her carefully painted and decorated ceiling.

The ceiling was painted like a dark night sky with a hovering moon covered in layers of blue and silver cosmic clouds. In some areas the clouds were painted to look like a phoenix and a dragon, representing a portion of Kagome's mixed heritage. LED lights, ranging in shades of blue to white, were installed into the ceiling to imitate twinkling stars.

Flicking on the lights, the teen smiled as the lights began to glow, interchangeably dimming and brightening in different parts of the ceiling. The clouds that were painted like the two mystical beasts even had lights glowing that made her feel as if the paintings were alive.

As she stared above her she remembered when some of her closest friends had come over and helped her paint the current version of her ceiling.

Quickly shaking off the nostalgic memory, the raven went back to checking her belongings. She was under a time limit; she didn't have time to get lost in her thoughts again.

Hurriedly but meticulously, Kagome went around her room one last time.

Deeming everything to be where they should be or needed to be, she clipped her Duel Disk to her backpack, and hurried downstairs with her bag slung over her shoulder.

"Akemi, are you ready to go?" Fumiko greeted upon seeing her daughter.

"Yes, Mama," Kagome sighed, still reluctant to follow through with her parents' plan.

"Are you sure?" the Kaiba matriarch pressed. "It's a long drive to Domino City's harbor, and we don't have time to double back if you forget anything. Nor do I have enough power to create a portal to do so," she stated warningly.

"I'm sure, Mama. Can we please go now?" the blue-eyed girl begged. "I really don't want my friends to come looking for me when they figure out I'm not coming to practice today."

Though Issei Institute's school administration were aware of her attending Duel Academy for the next year (she had to fill out paperwork to take part of Issei's exchange program), her friends were still didn't know she was leaving. Even with her interview on the game channel two weeks ago, her friends were still unware; mainly because they didn't follow Duel Monsters like she did, and she didn't have the courage to tell them that she wouldn't be finishing her last year of high school with them.

Sensing her daughter's emotions, Fumiko quickly ushered Kagome out the door. "Alright, dear. Takahiro and Jii-chan are already waiting for us in the car," she said as she locked the door behind her.

"Aneki, you sure you have everything?" Souta asked once his mother and sister had boarded the family's pear white SUV.

" **Yes, Xiangtai,"** Kagome sighed back in Cantonese. As the Higurashi-Kaiba children started conversing with each other they reverted back to their old habit of constantly mixing and interchanging their languages. **"I have everything I need for Duel Academy; my electronics, Duel Disk, Duel Monsters cards and decks, training gear, and etcetera. Father told me not pack anything else,"** she grouched in a mix of French and German, obviously still upset about her situation.

" **Eh? Doesn't that just mean Dad's giving you a really big present or something? It wouldn't be the first time he and Uncle Mokuba did this to make up for something they did or didn't do,"** the elementary schooler drawled in a combination of Mandarin and English.

Like his sister, Souta was clearly upset with his parents but more so with their father. He hated the arrangement they had put his big sister in, and hated even more that it took her away from him. He had only just gotten her back from Issei's policy of mandatory dorming for junior high aged students, and now he was going to lose her for another year. He didn't want to be separated from his sister so soon especially not when she would be leaving again for university next year.

" **That's what I thought,"** the older Kaiba sibling quipped. **"I don't mind the presents and everything, but I wish they would realize already that material items isn't going to make it up to us."**

" **It'd be nice if they actually came to spend time with us instead of the other way around.** Not that I mind seeing Yugi-oji-sama and the others, **but it sucks having to go to Domino City all the time."**

" **Like that'll every happen,"** Kagome scoffed at her brother's wistfulness. When it came to their father, the Ace Princess was much more jaded and critical than Souta ever could be. After all their father had broken many more promises to her than he had with him. **"By the way, are you ditching your club practice? The autumn soccer tournament is right around the corner,"** she questioned, changing the topic to a lighter one.

"Don't worry, Aneki. Hidaka-kantoku gave the club a day off to rest," Souta waved off. **"He said that even though the preliminaries are next week, we need to relax once in a while so we don't get burnt out."**

With the topic off their father and Kagome's impending departure, the siblings chatted almost cheerfully together, catching each other up on what they've missed out and sharing anecdotes about their friends. With how chaotic the last month had been for the older Kaiba and her busy schedule, they had barely had the time to see each other at home or school.

* * *

Hearing her children's conversation, Fumiko's lips pressed together in a flat line. She knew neither of her kids liked the arrangement she had made with their father, but it was one of her last hopes.

With all the hatred she had for Duel Monsters bottled in her heart, Kagome had placed a lock on her spiritual abilities, stunting her growth and inhibiting her control.

The Kaiba matriarch knew it was harmful even dangerous for a person with average power levels to block their own abilities, subconsciously or not. The effects of doing something like that were detrimental to an individual. The loss of control and the dammed up reiryoku were a deadly force to be reckoned with, even more so for a person born with immense reiryoku as opposed to someone with an average amount. Luckily for most, this problem is usually caught and remedied in less than a year. However, some did go unremedied.

Fumiko couldn't even imagine what was happening to her daughter or what would happen to her. No one before Kagome had ever gone uncured for so long. It was unheard of for someone to go untreated for more than a year much less for five.

The event planner could only bite her lip as her expression turned pensive. She didn't know how much longer Kagome had before she broke; and having lost her daughter once before, she didn't want to lose her again, and maybe permanently this time. Her only hopes were that the people at Duel Academy would be able to help Kagome rid herself of her hatred for the ancient, but popular card game.

Looking in her rear view mirror, the Kaiba matriarch felt a wistful smile make its way onto her face. The sight of her two children chatting so animatedly together about events they've each missed out on warmed her heart, temporarily melting away her fear and worry. Even her father added his own two scents when the pair mentioned their grandfather's other grandchildren.

It was moments like these that she desperately wished her husband was here with them rather than away on some business trip or to _another_ Duel Monsters tournament. The matchmaker's expression quickly turned sour at that thought.

Didn't Seto realize how much of his children's lives he's missed out on or how much the two missed their father? Their children were desperate for their father's attention? Kagome, especially, had developed multiple bad habits just so she could try to see him or get him to come see her.

Furious tears beaded at the corners of her grey eyes as Fumiko thought about her husband.

Didn't their family mean anything to him? Didn't she mean anything to him?

If Seto really loved and cared about them like he claims, why did he keep leaving them? Every time he left them was a stab to her soul, and she didn't think she could stand being in a marriage like this for much longer.

"—ma? Mama?"

"Huh? What is it, you two?" the matriarch answered, discretely wiping away her tears so that her children wouldn't see her cry.

"Are you okay, Mama?" Kagome asked in concern, having recognized her mother's expression from seeing it so often growing up. "You didn't look like yourself."

"It's nothing, Akemi. Now, what were you saying again?" Fumiko smiled, pushing her dark thoughts away for the time being. Now wasn't the time for that. These were going to be the last few hours she get to spend with her daughter until she came home next month.

"If you say so…" the blue-eyed girl mumbled, not believing a single one of her mother's word. "I wanted to know what you thought about Kai-nii's last show."

"Oh, Teruo-chan, Toshima-nii's son," the grey-eyed woman recognized. "I think he did rather well. That magic trick of his was pretty spectacular. I doubt even Toshima-nii could make a better trick."

"Right?" Souta agreed excitedly. "It was like he just teleported to the top of the skyscraper, and he didn't even use a portal to do it. It's been weeks and I still can't figure out his trick."

"That just shows you still have much to learn, Souta-kun," Grandpa Higurashi chuckled cheerfully.

"Eh?" the youngest Higurashi whined.

The rest of the drive to Domino City went along the same lines; the family of four conversing with each other amicably as they savored their last few hours together.

* * *

It took more than three hours of driving before the small family finely arrived in Domino City and at the city's sole harbor.

Getting out of the SUV, Kagome couldn't help but feel a bit bitter at seeing the hundreds of Duel Academy students with their friends and family. Every one of them looked so happy to go to the card game specialty school, and their family seemed so proud that their children had even gotten accepted.

She didn't the begrudge the families for being happy; despite being Duel Monster obsessed Duel Academy did have a good academic track record, but she didn't get it. Why would anyone choose to go to a school specializing in producing card game players? It made no sense to her. It was just a card game, after all. A person didn't need to go to a school to become a professional in it. She didn't, and neither did her friends and cousins.

Looking around the pier, the duelist suddenly froze when she spotted the group waiting by the ramp for Duel Academy's yacht. The uniform each person in the group was clad was a dead giveaway of which school they were from.

Sensing her presence, the large group of Issei Institute students moved as one as they turned away from the ship and made their way to the fifteen-year-old.

As if they could sense the difference in their levels, the sea of Duel Academy students and their families parted for the Issei students. They didn't know what was going on, but they didn't want to get involved in whatever it was. However, that didn't stop the nearby families from watching.

"H-how? What are you guys doing here?" the professional duelist exclaimed once her friends were within a normal human's hearing range.

"Your mom and Souta told us," Teijin Shippo, a fox yokai, announced with a smirk on his handsome face. "And we thought it'd be a nice to see you off since someone didn't bother to tell us that they were leaving."

"You didn't think we were going to let you leave without saying goodbye, did you?" Yoro Kouga, a wolf youkai, spoke up for the group. His blue eyes sparkled with mischief as he kept one arm wrapped around Kousai Ayame, his girlfriend and fiancé.

Kagome didn't answer, only shrinking into herself under her friends' accusing eyes.

"Don't be like that, Gome-chan," Kyokan Sango, one of Kagome's best friends, sighed as she broke away from the group. Hugging the younger girl, the brunette attempted to comfort the raven a little. "We're not mad, but we are upset that you didn't think to tell us that you were joining the exchange program again."

The duelist kept her mouth shut, unable to and unwilling to give a response.

Knowing of their friend's confidence issue, the rest of the girls followed the yokai taijiya's lead. Breaking away from the group, they quickly surrounded the girl in a group hug in an attempt to calm down the youngest high school third-year.

Unfortunately, the force and weight of the girls' group hug wasn't evenly distributed. As a result the cluster of high school girls were sent tumbling to ground with Kagome at the very bottom of the pile.

Kagome was left more than a little dazed from the crash. She wasn't aware of when everyone scrambled off of her; she was more focused on her aching head and temporarily blurred vision.

When her sight cleared, the miko didn't know what to do or say. How was she supposed to respond to friends? She had never liked farewells, and had never been good at them with people she deeply cared about.

With her mind in a jumbled mess, the Kaiba heiress was effectively startled out of her thoughts upon seeing a pale arm with a familiar set of magenta-colored stripes. "Aniki?" she muttered softly, peering up at the impassive face of her godbrother and technically ex-boyfriend.

Sesshomaru didn't wait for any further response before taking his godsister's hand and pulling her up on to her feet and into his arms.

The raven stiffened at the contact. Her hands instinctively grasped the fabric of her godbrother's shirt in an attempt to stay balanced. Unable to meet her brother's eyes, she kept her gaze stubbornly turned to the floor, not even lifting her head when yokai called her by name.

Holding his little sister closer, the Student Council President mentally sighed at her behavior.

Knowing there wasn't much he could do, the dog yokai proceeded to let a low growl resonate through his body. His chest rumble with vibrations as he growled soothingly to his godsister; an action he and his mother always preformed to calm the miko after nightmares and anxiety attacks. And like every other time since they had first met as infant and toddler, Kagome began relax as her hands loosened from his shirt and her knuckles began to regain their color.

It didn't take long before the blue-eyed girl had pressed her face into her older brother's chest and was clinging to him for dear life. Her body trembled as silent tears wracked her body and faint whimpers tore from her throat. Her pent up feelings on her school exchange finally bursting.

The silver-haired male said nothing as he continued to calm and comfort his godsibling, gently combing his fingers through her raven locks as he held her close.

Around them the Duel Academy students couldn't help but gawk at the pair. And from an Issei outsider's point-of-view, the godsiblings, for all intents and purposes, did look like a very handsome couple having an affection-filled moment to themselves.

Whispers broke out amongst the Duel Academy students as they continued to ogle the complimentary couple. Gossip about the silver and raven godsiblings would soon be one of the hottest topics at the card game school.

As that happened the rest of the Issei students took the chance to help the Higurashi's unload Kagome's luggage from the car. Those who didn't have a bag to grab strategically formed a ring around the two godsiblings, blocking the majority of the gawking outsiders' view. Even though they were in a public place, Kagome's friends wanted to at least give the teenagers the sense of privacy that they cherished do much.

"Imouto?" Sesshomaru spoke once his litter mate calmed down and her whimpers had ceased.

"I'm okay," the Kaiba heiress mumbled against her godbrother's chest, just loud enough for only the daiyokai to hear. A moment later, she spoke again. "I'm sorry, Aniki."

The daiyokai sighed at the apology, halting in his petting. "There is no reason for you to be sorry, Kagome. It is only natural to seek comfort when you're distressed."

"But I'm always bothering you, and clinging on to you," the raven murmured unhappily. "It's why everyone thinks we're dating each other."

"Let them think what they will, Imouto. It matters not as long as we know the truth," the killing perfection stated as he used one hand to lift his sister's chin so that they had eye contact with each other. "And I do not mind that you seek me out for comfort. It relieves me as your brother that you can find solace with me when you are upset and in need."

' _But doesn't that just mean I'm weak?'_ Kagome thought, staying silent as her gaze fell.

"Don't look away from me, Kagome," Sesshomaru snapped, jerking his litter mate's chin higher. "You are not weak; you never have been. You are one of the strongest at our school. Do not be ashamed to have a weakness," he growled as gold orbs bore into blue. "If it is so shameful to be weak, grow stronger to compensate for it. Grow so that you may stand on your own two feet again."

Not receiving an immediate response, he pressed her for answer. "Promise me, Imouto, that you will grow while you are away. Promise that you will stay healthy and safe even though you are not by my side."

Looking at her godbrother's somber expression, Kagome hesitated to answer. Though she wanted to do what he asked her to, she wasn't sure she could do. "… I promise, Aniki," she finally agreed.

"Good," the Student Council President nodded. "Now go talk to your other friends. There is not much time before you have to board," he continued while effortlessly turning the younger third-year around to face the other Issei students.

And with a little more encouragement and a push in the back, Kagome was apologizing to her friends and giving her goodbyes. She every one of her friends and family, promising that she would be back in a month for the All-Japan Gymnastics Team Finals.

It was when she was hugging her best girlfriend that the signal for Duel Academy's ship sounded.

Still hugging Kagome, Sango leaned into the younger girl's ear whispered. "Check your trunk when you settle in, alright. We stashed somethings in there for you."

"Sango-chan," the raven smiled softly.

"You better get going, Gome. They're not going to wait for you," the brunette urged with a sad smile.

With one last smile to her friends and family, Kagome boarded her ship to head off to her new school all the while wiping away the oncoming tears from face. Now that she had the support of friends, Kagome felt that she was ready for what was to come this year, and just hoped she would be able to find herself the perfect husband this year.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before anyone asks why Grandpa Higurashi isn't calling his grandchildren by their middle names like Fumiko is doing, it's because he's not of Higurashi blood. Even though he's their grandfather, he is ultimately still an outsider to the Higurashi clan and the whole supernatural business. Only those of Higurashi blood may refer to each other by their middle names, or the Higurashi's significant other.
> 
> Souta's full name in English is Xiangtai (想太) Takahiro (貴浩) Ace Higurashi-Kaiba. His Japanese name is Higurashi-Kaiba T. Souta. Kagome's is Guomei (果美) Akemi (明美) Noémie Higurashi-Kaiba and Higurashi-Kaiba A. Kagome.
> 
> I am honestly very surprised by how much of Mama Higurashi's POV I put in this chapter. I really did not expect it to explode like that. And I fixed a minor plot hole!
> 
> AN-2: No, there is no mistake to Souta calling Kagome Aneki. It is an actual word, and is one of the variations that can be used to call someone big sister. Other variations are Ane, Aneue, Onee, Nee, and they can be used with the suffixes -san or -chan. However, Ane-san is generally only used by the yakuza or gangs.


	4. Meeting Judai

From the docks, Kagome's friends and family watched as Duel Academy's ship sailed off towards the south. They continued to stay at the dock until the boat was nothing more than speck on the horizon for a human's sight.

After a while the crowd at the harbor slowly dispersed until only Sesshomaru and Kagome's family remained.

When he could no longer see the yacht, Sesshomaru turned towards his godmother, his godsiblings' mother. "Fumiko-oba-san, do you really think it's wise to send Kagome to that island?"

"It might not be," Fumiko admitted. "But it's the best option we have. It's the perfect place for her to recover."

The dog yokai stayed silent as he waited for an explanation.

"You're aware that for a person blocking their own power, the most suitable way for them to recover is to be in an environment where they do not have to use their powers. From what I've seen on the island two, there isn't anything that warranted anyone to use their reiryoku. Aside from their constant opening and closing of Duel Monster gateways, there is virtually nothing that will trigger Kagome's reiryoku. The two things that could possibly be of any threat to her have already been sealed away years ago. Unlike how it is here, that island has little to no supernatural activity. With less use of her powers, Kagome may stand a chance to stay healthy enough to finally breakdown her own block. And…" The event planner trailed off, wondering if she should really be telling her best friend's son this. Her godson was awfully protective of his godsibling after all.

"And?" Sesshomaru prompted, thinking that his godsister could have been sent to many other places over the island academy.

"Perhaps that academy's students may help Kagome more than we can," Fumiko finished with a solemn air.

"Perhaps…" the daiyokai repeated. "Let us hope that you are right, Fumiko-oba-san."

"Do you think Aneki will be alright, Mama?" Souta spoke for the first time since his sister had left.

"We can only hope so," the Kaiba matriarch answered. "We all know how she is," continued Fumiko with a smile on her face, but in her mind she was thinking, _'But finding a fiancé might be a bit of a challenge...'_

The group of four stayed at the docks only a little longer before they started making their way back to Tokyo.

* * *

Kagome sadly waved goodbye to her friends with a smile as the ship departed from the harbor with her on it.

Once the harbor that the ship had previously been anchored at was out of her eye sight, Kagome let her smile fade away and her arm to fall back to her side. Sighing sadly, she turned around and started to walk to the interior of the ship.

As she made her way towards the ship's interior she heard a large commotion at the front of the boat.

Making her way over to the crowd that had begun to form, Kagome saw that there were already some duelists dueling each other. Some people in crowd were also talking about the strategies that the duelists were using and others she noticed were surprisingly talking about her.

"Hey did you hear?" a random girl asked another duelist next to her.

"Hear about what?" was the reply.

"Well I heard that the Ace Princess was on board to go to Duel Academy with us," she replied in eagerness.

"Really?" was the other girl's astonished answer. "I love her and I heard she hasn't lost any duel that's come her way."

"I know. Why do you think she's coming to the academy anyways?" the first girl asked thoughtfully

"Probably to learn more strategies or something," suggested the second girl while shrugging her shoulders.

As that conversation took place more people began to talk about the Ace Princess once they heard the title.

Taking that as her cue to leave, the blue-eyed teen quickly and quietly left the main deck.

After a short while, she was able to successfully make it to the ship's side deck without any of the other students recognizing her. _'Now I just have to make it to the island without being recognized,'_ she thought somewhat moodily.

"HEY!"

Did she mention making it to the island _without_ being seen?

She didn't respond, silently hoping that the one yelling would get the idea and leave her be.

"Hey!" The voice wasn't as loud now, but it was closer. "Didn't you hear me? I said hey!"

She sighed and came face to face with a pair of fallow brown eyes, taking a step back she took in the appearance of the overly jovial boy. His hair was cut in an odd shape with two parts framing his face; it was a duo shade of brown and if she were to guess the shades, she would assume Ochre and Dark Sepia. "I had thought it was obvious that I was ignoring you."

"Huh?" He seemed confused, but she ignored it and turned to walk away when he called out to her once more. "You're a duelist!" he called, "Right?"

She mentally rolled her eyes. She knew that he wasn't asking her, only wording it in that of a question. Only major idiots would ask something like that while on this ship.

"Duel me!"

Her eyes widened and her left hand found the black velvet pouch that held her deck on her hip.

"Duel... you?" she asked, trying to comprehend the thought of dueling someone like him. Surely he wasn't serious. She turned around curiously and found a huge grin on his face, cards already on his Duel Disk.

"... You're serious..." she smiled. "If we dueled, will that get you to leave me alone?" she asked with a quirked brow. She was most definitely not in the mood to play with anyone.

"YEAH!"

She sighed as she watched him run to the other side of the ship's deck. Unclipping her Duel Disk from her backpack, she pulled her deck out and inserted it in her own Duel Disk. She made sure her deck was clipped in securely before she strapped her Duel Disk onto her forearm.

"Duel!" the two duelists shouted as they turned on their Duel Disks and drew their starting hand of five cards.

"You don't mind going first, do you?" Kagome asked, her mind already formulating a strategy to finish this duel as soon as possible. She really would rather be napping and sketching out a new idea than doing this.

"Sure thing! Draw!" the excited mystery boy declared as he drew a card to start his turn. "First, I'll play **Elemental HERO Bubbleman** in Attack Mode. When **Bubbleman** is summoned and I have no other monsters on my field, I can draw two more cards!" he stated as he took two more cards from his deck.

"An E-HERO deck, eh?" Kagome mumbled softly to herself, her interest piqued. It wasn't very often she met someone who used this archetype of cards. The only pro duelists who even used HERO cards were her and her adoptive brother though the two of them used different strategies and cards with their Elemental HERO decks. _'I might actually enjoy this duel,'_ she thought, internally debating on whether or not to follow through with her curiosity.

Turning her attention back to her opponent and the blue HERO monster, the blue-eyed girl waited to see what else he'd do. It'd be interesting to see and compare his strategies to hers and Edo's.

"Next, I equip **Bubble Blaster** to **Bubbleman** , raising his ATK by 800!" the boy explained as the E-HERO took hold of his new.

"Che," the Ace Princess huffed, miffed at the Equip Spell. She knew the effects of this card rather well as she and her best friend used it often enough with their own Bubbleman. Bubble Blaster was an annoying card when playing against it and it would only hinder her in ending this duel quickly.

"I'll play **E – Emergency Call** to add one **Elemental HERO** to my hand," the brown-eyed teen stated with a card materializing behind Bubbleman. "And I'll end my turn with two cards facedown."

' _ **E – Emergency Call**_ _, huh? Does that mean he has the other letter cards for_ _ **HERO Flash**_ _?'_ Kagome thought as she declared the start of her turn and drew a card from her deck.

Taking a glance at it, she quickly three other cards from her hand of cards and made her move. "I activate the Spell card, **Double Summon**. For this turn only, I can have an additional Normal Summon. And I summon **Rose, Warrior of Revenge** and **Harpie Channeler**!" As she said this she placed the three cards onto her Duel Disk and almost instantly the two red-haired monsters materialized onto the field.

"And thanks to **Harpie Channeler** 's special effect, once per turn I can discard one **Harpie** card from my hand and Special Summon a Harpie monster from my hand or deck. And I summon **Harpie's Pet Baby Dragon** in Attack Mode," she declared. Her Duel Disk scanned her deck for the stated card before ejecting it out for use. Soon enough, a red and orange baby dragon appeared on the field with its Harpie Girl trainer holding it by its chain leashed emerald collar.

"From my hand I'll activate the Continuous Spell, **Hysteric Party**. This card allows me to add one **Elegant Egotist** to my hand from my Deck or Graveyard," Kagome said as she revealed the Spell card she had drawn at the start of her turn. "And I'll play it to Special Summon **Harpie Lady 1**."

"But that Spell card only works with a **Harpie Lady** monster," her opponent pointed out in confusion.

"When **Harpie Channeler** is on the field or in the Graveyard, her name is treated as **Harpie Lady** ," she explained. Next to her, Kagome's Harpie Channeler snickered in amusement, her body glowing as Elegant Egotist took effect. As the light grew brighter, a myriad of colors blossomed as Harpie Lady 1's form separated from Harpie Channeler's.

"And with **Harpie Lady 1** 's special effect all WIND attribute monsters gain 300 ATK. Additionally, **Harpie's Pet Baby Dragon** 's effect activates, and accumulates in accordance to the amount of **Harpie** monsters I have on the field. And since I have two, you can't target any other **Harpie** monster for an attack, and my **Pet Baby Dragon** 's ATK and DEF doubles. And when I have a Dragon-Type monster on the field, **Harpie Channeler** 's level rises to seven." Again, Harpie Channeler was surrounded by a pale light as her shoulder-length hair grew past her waist and glistening gems were added on to her feathered staff.

"Now, **Harpie Channeler** attack his **Bubbleman** , and get rid of that pesky Spell card!" Kagome ordered her card hand pointed towards the HERO monster.

"Not so fast! Reverse Card, open! **A Hero Emerges**!" the boy shouted, temporarily halting Harpie Channeler's attack. He swiftly shuffled his hand of cards before saying the Trap card's effect. "When I activate this card, my opponent chooses one card from my hand, and if it's a monster card, I can Special Summon it!"

"The second from the right," the female duelist chose with her arms crossed over her chest and the fingers of her card hand tapping impatiently against her Duel Disk.

"Alright!" the duo-colored teen cheered and took the chosen card and set it on his Duel Disk. "I Special Summon **ELEMENTAL HERO Edgeman** in Attack Mode!"

Once the Trap card had resolved, he proceeded to open another facedown card. "That's not all, I also activate the Trap Card, **Negate Attack**!" her opponent shouted as he pressed the Trap card's corresponding button on his Duel Disk. "When my opponent declares an attack, I can activate this card to negate the attack and end the Battle Phase," he explained.

"I'll set one reverse card, and end my turn." Kagome hummed softly as she finished her turn, slightly impressed that the other duelist had the forethought to set those two particular cards.

"Waah! That was close," the boy sighed and patted his chest in relief, thankful that he had narrowly escaped an OTK (One Turn Kill). If he hadn't set those Trap cards, he would have already lost the duel. An excited grin soon spread across his face, replacing his expression of relief. "My turn; draw!" he shouted with a new card in hand. Looking at the card, the duo-colored brunette couldn't help but cheer at his luck.

"I'll start by activating **Fusion** to fuse **Elemental HERO Burst Lady** and **Elemental HERO Featherman** to Fusion Summon **Elemental HERO Flame Wingman**!" he said as he revealed the three cards in his hand and briefly placed them on his Duel Disk. The two E-HERO monsters appeared on the field before disappearing in a swirling blend to have the Fusion monster take their place.

"My favorite card!" he shouted when the monster had fully materialized. "And thanks to your Harpie Lady 1, Flame Wingman's ATK rises to 2400!"

"Battle! **Flame Wingman** attack her **Warrior of Revenge**! _Flame Shoot!_ " he said enthusiastically as he punched his card hand in time to his orders. The Fusion monster took to the sky and dived towards the Warrior-Type monster in a ball of flames.

"Not likely, Hero Boy!" Kagome interrupted as she pressed a button on her Duel Disk. "Trap card, open! H **arpie Lady Sparrow Formation**! When I control two or more **Harpie Lady** monsters I can negate an attack and end the Battle Phase."

Just when Flame Wingman was a mere foot away from Rose, Warrior of Revenge, a wall of burning red feathers shot from the ground. Harpie Channeler and Harpie Lady 1 also became engulfed in red flames to form a bird of fire that intercepted Flame Wingman, halting the HERO monster's attack.

"So it's like **Negate Attack** but only for **Harpie Ladies** ," the newly dubbed Hero Boy said to himself in understanding, slightly awed by the Solid Vision holographic of the Trap card.

"If you're quite done gawking, can we please move on?" Kagome asked with a quirked brow, a habit she had picked up from her older god brother. Amusement glittered in her sapphire orbs from the other duelist's reaction; it was strange seeing another person her age be so enthusiastic over Duel Monsters.

Back at her old school, she, Souta and maybe two or so others were the only ones that played the card game. Everyone else preferred more physically active, mentally challenging, or simpler games. Nobody really wanted to deal with a game that was originally and at times still is a life and death matter.

"Right! I'll switch **Bubbleman** to Defense Mode, and I'll end my turn by setting two reverse cards," he said, the cards materializing in the Spell/Trap zone.

"My turn; draw." Looking at the card she had drawn, the pro duelist couldn't help but smirk as she played it. "I activate the Spell card, **Treasure from Heaven**. This card allows both players to draw until they have six cards in their hand," she said as she took six more cards from her deck.

Once she was able to scan over her cards, the blue-eyed girl's lips lifted up into a fond smile as she saw that she had drawn two more Harpie monsters.

"I'll start by summoning **Harpie Dancer** in Attack Mode. With a third **Harpie** monster, I can activate **Harpie's Pet Baby Dragon** 's third effect. Once per turn, I can destroy one of my opponent's cards. So let's get rid of his F **lame Wingman** , ne?" Kagome asked her Pet Baby Dragon.

The Dragon monster made a soft cooing purr in agreement before opening its mouth and blasting a burst of green-white lightning at the Fusion monster.

As soon as the attack connected a cloud of black smoke exploded and covered the deck where the duel took place. When the smoke cleared, the Fusion monster missing from the field, but surprisingly in his place were Elemental HERO Burst Lady and Elemental HERO Featherman, both set in Defense Mode.

"Nice try, but I was able to activate **De-Fusion** at the last minute," the brunette laughed, happiness and excitement just seeming to flow out of him.

"That won't save you," the pro duelist retorted. "I activate **Harpie Dancer** 's effect. Once per turn, I can return one WIND monster I control to my hand, and then Normal Summon one WIND monster. And I'll return **Harpie's Pet Baby Dragon** ," she began as Harpie's Pet Baby Dragon disappeared from the field and its card was returned to her hand. "To re-summon **Harpie's Pet Baby Dragon**. Because **Harpie's Pet Baby Dragon** is newly summoned, I can activate her third effect once more. This time let's get rid of his **Bubbleman**. **_Holy Purge!_** " she ordered the Dragon monster.

Again green-white lightning burst forth from Harpie's Pet Baby Dragon. A cloud of black smoke erupted as the monster effect struck the sole WATER attribute monster, and grunts of pain could be heard from within the smoke cloud as Bubbleman attempted to fight against the monster effect.

"Because **Bubbleman** was destroyed by a monster effect, **Bubble Blaster** 's effect doesn't activate," Kagome declared as the smoke cleared, revealing a field void of Bubbleman and his Equip Spell.

She was slightly impressed with her opponent's tactics in preventing from ending this duel quickly though she would never admit it. But despite how interesting her opponent was turning out to be, she really didn't want to drag this out.

" **Harpie Channeler** attack his **Featherman**! **_Shadow Chain!_** " she called out, reminding the other duelist that she had yet to enter her Battle Phase.

The chain leash and collar that Harpie Channeler held emitted a nearly pitch black aura. As she unleashed the chains and threw it towards the Featherman, the leash and collar disappeared from view.

The green HERO monster looked around him, anxiety seeming to come over his person. Suddenly the Harpie Channeler's chain leash and collar, still emitting the black aura, emerged from Featherman's shadow. The collar latched itself onto Featherman's neck and the chains wrapped around each of the HERO's limbs. The two items then proceeded to drag him into shadows despite the HERO's panic filled movements.

As soon as the E-HERO disappeared into the shadows Kagome ordered her next round of attacks. " **Harpie's Pet Baby Dragon** incinerate his **Edgeman** with _**Holy Flare**_ _!_ And **Harpie Lady 1** show **Burst Lady** how a woman really fights; _**Scratch Crash!**_ "

The Harpie Lady gave an excited screech before taking to the sky. When she reached the appropriate height the Winged Beast about faced and dived at the sole female HERO in a falling dropkick. As soon as the Harpie Lady collided with the HERO Burst Lady shrieked in pain as she was destroyed.

Harpie's Pet Baby Dragon let loose a roar, a rather fearsome one for a baby dragon, as she released a fireball of dancing blue and green flames at the EARTH attribute monster.

The male Warrior monster groaned as he was engulfed in the ball of fire and was destroyed by being literally burnt to a crisp. And as the last E-HERO disappeared from the field, the brunette's Life Points dropped to 3900.

" **Rose** , **Harpie Dancer** , let's wreak some havoc on Hero Boy's Life Points and give him a Direct Attack!" Kagome shouted as she ordered a direct attack.

Rose ran across the ship's deck towards the other duelist with her hands on her sheathed sword. The female monster unsheathed her katana as she jumped into the air and came down swiping at the brunette in a flurry of shining metal. When the red head landed on the other side of the boy, her katana once again sheathed, Hero Boy cried in pain as the Duel Disk replicated a fraction the simulated pain into his nervous system. He cried out again as the blonde Harpie dove at him from above, swiping at the brunette with her talons.

" **Rose** 's effect now activates. Whenever she deals Battle Damage, she inflicts an additional 300 points of damage to my opponent's Life Points," Kagome added as Rose struck the brown-eyed duelist again with her katana, forcing another cry of pain from the male. Hero Boy's, as Kagome continued to call him, Life Points fell to a flat 800.

"I'll end my turn with one card facedown," the Ace Princess stated, not at all worried about her monsters or Life Points. With the hand she had and her current monsters, there was no way she could lose especially not to an amateur duelist using one of the decks that she has and knew the ins and outs of.

"My turn; draw!" Hero Boy called as he added a seventh card to his hand. "From my hand, I activate the Spell card, **O – Oversoul**. With this I can Special Summon from my Graveyard one Normal monster, and I'll bring **Burst Lady**!"

As he said that the Spell card materialized on the field and within seconds Burst Lady emerged from an inferno that erupted from the Spell card.

"Next, I'll play **Fusions Recovery** to return **Fusion** and **Bubbleman** from the Graveyard to my hand, and I'll activate **Fusion** to fuse **Bubbleman** and **Burst Lady** to summon **Elemental HERO Steam Healer**!" the brunette shouted as he revealed the two cards he had just retrieved.

Again the two HERO monsters appeared on the field. As the Spell card's effect activated the two Warrior-Types blended together in a storm of hot steam. The purple and red E-HERO materialized in the eye of the mini tornado, and his form became clear when the steam faded.

' _He's going to use_ _ **Steam Healer**_ _to bring back up his Life Points.'_ Kagome clicked her tongue as she figured what her opponent is going to do. _'Not like that will help him if he doesn't have_ _ **Skyscraper**_ _in his hand.'_

There wasn't much that she didn't know about HERO decks and their strategies, strengths, and weaknesses. Mainly because she had a HERO deck of her own that she sometimes played on the Pro Circuit.

And as she thought her opponent did exactly as she expected.

"My HEROes can't fight in a watery place like this, so I'll set a better place! Field Spell, **Skyscraper**!" Hero Boy shouted from his side of the duel field. All around the two duelists, buildings grew from the ship's deck, and the wooden floor transformed to appear as if it was concrete. The Solid Vision System's projections made it impossible to see through the holographic to the original background.

"When **Skyscraper** is on field, my **Elemental HEROes** gain 1000 ATK when they battle against a monster with a higher ATK. **Steam Healer** attack **Harpie's Pet Baby Dragon**! _**Steam Halation!**_ "

"Reverse card, open! Permanent Trap, **Curse of the Hexagram**!" the blue-eyed duelist declared as the Trap card revealed itself. "While this Trap card is on the field, the targeted monster cannot attack or change its battle position!"

As Kagome explained the card's effect the Trap card glowed yellow and hexagram shot forth. The Trap took effect as the hexagram surrounded Steam Healer, and the E-HERO's assault was forced to an end.

The opposing duelist gritted his teeth as he was once again prevented from landing a hit on the girl's Life Points. "I'll set three reverse cards, and I'll end my turn by activating the Permanent Spell, **Mirage of Nightmare**."

"My turn; draw," Kagome declared.

"At this time, **Mirage of Nightmare** 's effect activates. During my opponent's Standby Phase, I can draw until I have four cards in my hand," the brunette said as he added four cards to his hand.

"What good will that do?" the blue-eyed questioned. "You'll only have to discard those same cards during your turn."

"Heh," the boy smirked as he pressed one of the buttons on his Duel Disk that controlled the Spell/Trap zones. "I activate the Instant Spell, Emergency Provisions. For each Spell and Trap card I send from my field to the Graveyard, I gain back 1000 Life Points. And I'll send **Mirage of Nightmare** and one of my reverse cards to bring my Life Points back up to 2800."

Kagome watched as three of the cards from the Spell/Trap zone area disappeared from the field. "But that still leaves one reverse card," she muttered to herself.

With a hand pointed towards the last Spell/Trap zone card, Kagome activated her monster's effect. "No matter, **Harpie's Pet Baby Dragon** get rid of his last facedown!"

"What? You can destroy Spell and Trap cards too?" her opponent shouted in disbelief as Harpie's Pet Baby Dragon released a blast of green-white lightning at the designated card.

"I did say my **Pet Baby Dragon** can destroy a card. I never stated it had to be a monster card," Kagome smirked, thinking she had this duel already won.

"In that case, reverse card, open! Instant Spell, **The Flute of Summoning Kuriboh**! When this card is activated I can Special Summon one **Kuriboh** or **Winged Kuriboh** from my deck. Come on out, partner!"

Kagome clicked her tongue in annoyance as she remembered the Fairy-Type monster's effect. It took a moment for it to register, but when it did Kagome's eyes widened in disbelief and slight anger.

"How do you have that card?" she shouted, her eyes narrowing at her opponent. Winged Kuriboh was an extremely rare card; it was almost as rare as her Black Magician Girl and Harpie's Feather Duster cards. She should know as she had been attempting to collect the Fairy-Type monster card since its release five years ago.

"Oh, you mean **Winged Kuriboh**? Yugi-san gave it to me right before the practical exam last month. Pretty cool, huh?"

Kagome didn't answer the boy and only glared at him as a low growl vibrated her throat. _'So that's what happened to the_ _ **Winged Kuriboh**_ _Yugi-oji-san said he was going to give me,'_ she thought. _'He gave it to this guy.'_

Her earlier anger began to simmer as she connected the dots and remembered the apology her godfather had given her when they had met up. Her godfather had promised the rare Level One monster as a gift for completing the first term of her final year in high school.

Taking a deep breath, Kagome attempted to calm herself before she did anything she'd regret. She'd often gotten in trouble with her maternal family, her godmother, and her older godbrother for letting her temper get the better of her.

Not wanting to remember all the times she had been scolded and punished for her temper, she pushed her anger back. She tried rationalizing that her godfather wouldn't give her gift to a random stranger without a reason.

"Oi? Is everything okay over there?" the brunette called out when he noticed how quiet the blue-eyed girl was being.

"Just dandy," she snapped back. Taking another deep breath, Kagome forced herself to focus back on the current duel. It wouldn't do if she somehow lost to this amateur because her anger had clouded her judgment.

Finally taking a look at the card she had drawn, the pro duelist couldn't help but smile when she saw that had drawn one of her favorite cards.

"I activate **Harpie Dancer** 's effect and return **Harpie's Pet Baby Dragon** to my hand to once again summon **Harpie's Pet Baby Dragon** in attack mode. I might not be able to do any damage to you this turn, but I can still get rid of your cards!" Kagome shouted as she had her Dragon-Type monster destroy the brunette's Field Spell.

"Next, I'll offer up my **Rose, Warrior of Revenge** and **Harpie Dancer** to Synchro Summon **Stardust Dragon**!"

As soon as she announced that Rose, Warrior of Revenge's form shot towards the sky in red colored lightning and separated into four shining stars. The stars then expanded into glowing green-colored rings that surrounded Harpie Dancer, turning the Winged Beast's body transparent and four bright stars emitted from her body in a straight line. The two monsters held this form for a moment when suddenly a beam of white light struck and engulfed the pair, momentarily blinding the two duelists and alerting the other students on board the ship of the current duel.

A split second later, a blue and silver dragon burst from top of the tower of light and shattered the tower into literal stardust that floated down from its wings. Cries of amazement and screams of fear could be heard echoing from all around as Stardust Dragon continued to fly above the ship.

"Whoa!" the boy cried, absolutely astonished by the Dragon-Type monster. The strength of the dragon's flapping wings nearly knocking him over. The monster wasn't one he had ever seen or heard of, and he didn't remember every reading anything about the Dragon monster's creation on the Industrial Illusions' website.

"Don't forget about **Harpie Channeler** 's effect," Kagome said as she continued her turn when her vision had returned. "And since you played your favorite card, I'll return the favor two fold! I activate **Harpie Channeler** 's effect and discard **Harpie's Pet Dragon** to Special Summon one **Harpie** monster from my deck. Let's go, **Harpie Queen**!"

As soon as soon the cards were set in their proper zones a beautiful, turquoise-haired Harpie with white wings appeared.

Kagome couldn't help but smile as she watched her royal Harpie fly around the field before circling back to land next to her with an adoring coo. She didn't know why, but she always got the feeling that her Harpie Queen was much more than just a card; the queen was almost sentient with how she would act whenever she was on the field. The actions her favorite Harpie Lady took often reminded her of some parts of her childhood that she had never been able to recall.

Shaking her head, the blue-eyed girl pushed the notion to the back of her to ponder on later and carried on with her Main Phase 1. "I'll equip my **Harpie Queen** with the Equip Spell, **Raregold Armor**. While this card is on the field, my opponent can't attack any other monster besides the one it's equipped to. And thanks to Harpie Lady 1, her ATK goes up by 300 points!"

As the Spell card was played a platinum and gold plated armor appeared on Harpie Queen's upper body. A blue cape draped over the Winged Beast's shoulders and down her back. In the queen's hand appeared a gold handled saber, which she swung about in quick swipes before sheathing it in the chain belt that was slung about her armored waist.

"But your **Harpie's Pet Baby Dragon** is already protecting your **Harpies** ," Hero Boy pointed out. "What are ya trying to do? Make a lock?"

"That's right, and now my Harpie Lock is complete," Kagome smirked before shouting out. "Battle! **Harpie Queen** , **Harpie Channeler** show his HERO and that little fairy to an early grave! **_Royal Harpie Shadows!_** "

When the attack was announced, the two designated Harpie Ladies vanished into the shadows on Kagome's side of the duel field. Though their bodies were gone, the two duelists could hear the two Harpie Ladies' giggling as the two monsters moved in the shadows.

Hero Boy and the two monsters looked around the field as they attempted to pinpoint where the laughing was coming from, but no matter how much they tried, they just couldn't. It was as if the giggles were echoing from all directions, filling the entire duel field in a continuous stream of amused laughter.

For a moment the two Harpie's laughter fell silent, leaving the brunette duelist and his two monsters in suspense.

The giggling returned full force as the shadows on the brunette's field began to move. The shadows shifted until the parts of Harpie Queen and Harpie Channeler's bodies formed behind their respective prey. With the upper halves of their bodies out of the shadows, the Harpie Ladies wrapped their arms around their chosen monsters.

Winged Kuriboh and Elemental HERO Steam Healer struggled fiercely as they were dragged into the shadows by Harpie Channeler and Harpie Queen. The monsters cried and grunted as they tried to dislodge their respective Harpie captor from their bodies. Unfortunately, their efforts were in vain when the difference in ATK and DEF were taken into account, and the shadows that covered half of the Harpie's bodies quickly consumed the two lower ATK monsters.

Immediately after engulfing the boy's monsters, the shadows swiftly moved back towards Kagome's side of the field. Reaching their monster zones, Harpie Queen and Harpie Channeler quickly reappeared from the shadows they had hidden in with their bodies fully intact.

"I'll end my turn with that," Kagome announced, knowing better than to continue attacking for a useless endeavor.

"My turn; draw!" the brunette called as he drew from his deck. "I'll activate the Spell card, **Pot of Greed** to draw two cards. And thanks to **Mirage of Nightmare** I have the perfect card to get rid of your monsters! I'll discard one card to activate **Special Hurricane**! When activated I can destroy all monsters that were Special Summoned to the field."

A towering gray hurricane appeared in the center of the dueling field. The wind generated from the storm whipped the hair of the two duelists and the monsters on the field. As the hurricane gathered more speed and strength Kagome's monsters were gradually being pulled in.

"Not so fast! I activate **Stardust Dragon** 's special effect. **_Victim Sanctuary!_** " the blue-eyed teen shouted. Stardust Dragon flew forward from behind its duelist. Enveloping the twister in its wings, the Synchro monster dispersed in a shower of glittering gold stars, taking the Spell card with it.

"What?" the brunette cried out in shock. "That should have gotten rid both your **Dragons** and **Harpies**. Why did only the silver one disappear?"

"When a card effect destroys one or more of my cards, **Stardust Dragon** 's effect **_Victim Sanctuary_** has the ability to negate the card effect and destroy the card," the pro duelist explained while pushing away a stray lock of hair. "And what were you trying to accomplish? In case you've already forgotten because of **Harpie Dancer** 's effect, only **Harpie Queen** and **Stardust Dragon** were Special Summons."

"Ah! I can't believe I forgot about that!" the male shouted, grabbing the sides of his head as he beat himself up over his forgetfulness. The sudden appearance of the new Dragon-Type monster and all the action up until now had distracted him from remembering about the Harpie monster's effect.

Shaking off his negativity, the boy couldn't help but let an excited grin breakout across his face and his shone with enjoyment. He couldn't be upset over his forgetfulness. He was up against a really strong duelist and a brand new monster that he didn't know the effects of. How much more exciting could this duel get?

"Well then I activate **Double Spell**! By discarding one Spell card from my hand, I can target a Spell card in my opponent's Graveyard and treat it as if it was my own. And I'll be using your **Treasure from Heaven** , and we'll both draw until we have six cards in our hand," the brunette called out as he took four cards from his deck.

In response Kagome also added four more cards to her hand.

"Alright!" Hero Boy shouted as he looked at his new cards. Grinning widely, he grabbed a card from his new hand and played it on his Duel Disk. "I'll play **Monster Reborn** to Special Summon **ELEMENTAL HERO Edgeman** from my Graveyard."

As he said this, the Spell card appeared on the field, and Edgeman stepped out from the card's image of a blue ankh.

"I'll also activate the Spell card, **The Warrior Returning Alive** , to return one monster in my Graveyard to my hand, and I summon **ELEMENTAL HERO Sparkman** in attack mode!" he announced with the blue LIGHT attribute monster striking a pose as he appeared.

"So what?" Kagome asked with a quirked brow. "Unless you can break through my lock, there's no way you can beat me."

"I'm not done yet! I play the Spell card, **R – Right Justice**. With this I can destroy your **Raregold Armor** and attack your **Pet Baby Dragon**!"

Harpie Queen gasped as a large crack appeared on the armor she wore. The crack gradually spread, leaving smaller fractures in its wake. When there were cracks everywhere, the armor finally gave way and dispersed.

"Next, I activate **H – Heated Heart** to boost **Edgeman** 's ATK by 500 points, and I'll also play the Continuous Spell, **Kishido Spirit**. While this card is on the field, my monsters can't be destroyed when battling a monster with the same ATK. **Edgeman** , _**Power Edge Attack!**_ " the male duelist shouted.

The wings on the gold armored HERO monster's jetpack spread out as he sped across the field. With the monster's speed, he sliced straight through Kagome's Harpie's Pet Baby Dragon, and cut the girl's Life Points by 400 points.

The Dragon monster gave a loud, high-pitched cry before her body shattered into pieces.

"Next up is your **Harpie Lady 1**! **Sparkman,** _ **Spark Flash!**_ " Lightning burst forth from the blue HERO's hands. The magenta-haired Harpie released a pain filled shriek as the bolts of electricity struck her, but attempted to retaliate by swiping a clawed hand at the visor wearing hero.

"And with that, your **Harpies** lose their power-ups!" Hero Boy yelled, feeling accomplished at taking out three of his opponent's monsters.

"I'll end my turn with one card facedown," he said, setting his last card.

As soon he finished speaking a white light flooded the deck, nearly blinding the two duelists again. When the light faded and the two Duel Academy students could see again, Stardust Dragon was once again hovering behind the blue-eyed girl.

"What the?" the brown-eyed teen gasped in shock.

"Don't get cocky, boy," Kagome warned with steely eyes. "When sent to the Graveyard by _**Victim Sanctuary**_ , **Stardust Dragon** can be Special Summoned from my Graveyard the turn this effect is used."

"My turn, draw!" Looking at the card she had drawn, the raven-haired teen couldn't help but smirk.

"If you think your sole reverse card is going to save you then you better think again. When I have exactly five WIND monsters in my Graveyard I can Special Summon **Wind Spirit God - Wind Rose** from my hand. Let's go, **Wind Rose**!"

As this was announced a large green and purple Winged Beast monster materialized on the field. Despite its monster-Type, the Elemental Lord with its leafy body and rose petal wings bore a stronger resemblance to a rosebush than it did to a bird.

"Five? When did you get five in there?" the boy asked he counted on his fingers the number of monsters he had destroyed. "There should only be three in there!"

"Did you forget about the **Harpie** cards I discarded through **Harpie Channeler** 's effect?" Kagome inquired snootily "Because of her effect I took the chance to put **Harpie Girl** and **Harpie's Pet Dragon** in my Graveyard."

"Ah man!" her opponent cried as he grabbed his head in frustration. She was vaguely able to hear him cursing himself for letting his guard down.

"I activate **Wind Spirit God – Wind Rose** 's effect. When **Wind Rose** is successfully Special Summoned, it destroys all Spell and Trap cards on my opponent's side of the field." While Kagome spoke the Winged Beast monster spread its wings and began flapping them, creating a strong gale of wind. The brief squall flipped and revealed the brunette's facedown card before destroying it and her opponent's Continuous Spell.

" **Mirror Force** , huh?" Ace observed. "You're going to have to do a lot better, if you want to use that against me."

"Sugoi! Sugoi! This is so cool!" the brunette shouted as he bounced from leg to leg, seemingly incapable of containing his excitement. "I want one of those. Either one of them would be fine! I really want one!" he continued with a wide eager grin splitting his face.

"Eh? You okay there or have you had too much pain from Solid Vision?" the she questioned in honest confusion, completely perplexed by the other duelist's reaction to her Synchro monster's effect.

"I'm in major pinch, but I'm up against an extremely strong monster," Hero Boy explained as he continued to bounce in place.

Bringing a hand up to cover her mouth, Kagome attempted to smother the sudden bubbly feeling that filled her chest. But it did no good as a chuckle burst past her lips. As if the escaped chuckle was the catalyst a stream of laughter spilled from the WIND duelist.

"You're an interesting guy," she said once her chuckles had died down. "It's been a while since I've met someone like you."

"You're not too bad yourself," the boy replied back.

"Ne?" she called out to the other duelist.

"What's up?" the brunette replied back.

"I know this is a little late, but what's your name?"

"Me? Yuuki... Yuuki, Judai," the now identified duelist introduced himself laughingly. "Yours?"

"Higurashi... Higurashi, Kagome," the blue-eyed duelist responded. "I hope we can duel again sometime," she said, her own words surprising her.

She loved her Duel Monster cards, but aside from Tag-Duels, she generally hated dueling especially her duel training.

Shaking her head to rid herself of any lingering thoughts, Kagome shouted, "Duel resume! Since it's my turn, your **Edgeman** loses his 500 ATK bonus from **H – Heated Heart**. **Wind Rose** , **_Tempest Slicer!_** "

The Wind Spirit monster took to the sky, a strong gust left in his wake as he rose higher. However, that was nothing in comparison to what came next.

When Wind Rose reached a higher enough altitude, he flapped his purple and green wings. A visible torrent of fast moving air was generated in front the monster.

A cry of pain could also be heard from within the storm as Edgeman was encased in the twister. Flashes of silver could be seen whirling throughout the storm as blades of wind began attacking the HERO monster from all sides.

When the screams were silenced, the tornado gradually shrunk in size until it disappeared, taking Edgeman and 200 of Judai's Life Points with it.

" **Harpie Queen** take out his **Sparkman**!" the blue-eyed teen said to her strongest Harpie.

Said monster bowed to her duelist for show before taking to sky and diving at her target. The speed at which she flew far exceeded the other Harpie monsters. The royal Harpie was a blur of green, blue, and white as she dove at Sparkman. Using her taloned hands, Harpie Queen destroyed the HERO monster and cut another 300 Life Points from the brunette.

"I really have to say congratulations, Yuuki-san," Kagome smirked. "It's been a long while since anyone's last against me this long."

"That must make me a great a duelist, huh?" Judai asked with his chest puffed out.

"Maybe, but I guess you should be happy. You're the first person outside of my family to ever witness one of my Synchro monsters be summoned in a duel."

"Really? But why wouldn't you use such an awesome card more often?" Judai questioned all the while scratching his head in confusion. "Seems like a waste to me."

"You'll find out later, but this duel has gone long enough. Ready **Stardust Dragon**?" Kagome asked her Synchro monster. The Silver dragon released a thundering screech as if agree with his master's suggestion. "Then let's say good-bye! _**Shooting Sonic!**_ "

As soon as the command had left her lips Stardust Dragon took to the air, rising high until the other students on the ship were sure to have seen him. Bright light engulfed the playing field as Stardust Dragon released his attack with a roar and a cone of blue-white burst from his mouth. The attack was fast, and caused the ship to rock with the aftershock of the digital blast. There was no doubt in Kagome's mind that everyone would be curiously making their way to them soon. "You lose."

"Aw man! I can't believe I lost. I was so sure I could have won on my next turn," Judai complained as he checked the card he would have drawn. His attitude quickly did a 180 when he faced his raven-haired. "But that was the most fun I've had since I got on this boat! It was an amazing duel."

"Hm?" Kagome hummed as she placed her cards back in her deck carrier and re-attached her Duel Disk to her backpack before moving to his side of the deck.

"..."

Reaching Judai, she offered a hand out to him for a handshake that he took. "I guess it was pretty amazing. It was... fun dueling you. I hope we can do it again sometime."

"Yeah, definitely!" he grinned. "I won't stop till I beat you!" he laughed, "I have to duel you, but I'll wait a while, until I know I've improved!"

She nodded and pulled her hand free before walking away, leaving him to deal with the large group of duel students that were still at the ship's bow.

With the duel over with, Kagome continued on to the destination she had previously chosen while taking off her Duel Disk and putting away her deck. She quick returned both items back to where she originally had them, being careful so that she had stored them properly; she didn't want to risk the chance of damaging or losing either, more so for her deck than the Duel Disk.

Finally making it inside the ship, Kagome was more than happy that she hadn't crashed into another person.

Being that she was still on the main floor, the Pro Duelist headed up to the higher decks, and to where there were hopefully less people.

It wasn't much later that Kagome found herself settling into an armchair in the VIP lounge on the top deck, and her belongings resting by her feet.

Because of the area she was in, the heiress desperately hoped no one would come barging as she attempted to relax.

It had been a ridiculously stressful month. With work, school, the National Gymnastics tournament, and then the secrecy of her leave, she was in dire need of destressing. She felt like she'd explode if she didn't get a break soon.

For a while, the Pro Duelist just sat in her meditating in an attempt to get herself to relax. Her breathing deepened and became rhythmic as she grew more relaxed.

Just as she was about to doze off into dreamland, she was abruptly awaken by a vibration from the pocket of her jeans. Taking out the offending object, Kagome noticed that it was the new cell phone her father and uncle had gotten her as an apology present for forcing her come to the academy.

* * *

_ Flashback _

_**One Month Prior** _

_Kagome nervously walked into her father's company office. Her fingers restlessly played with the fabric of her designer black jeans as she wondered why her father had called her to his office. To her knowledge, she hadn't done anything bad enough to warrant being called to her father's place; not that he was aware of the other things she did. But after her last disastrous visit two weeks ago, where she was ordered to find a husband by her seventeenth birthday, she didn't really know what to expect._

_Seeing that her father and uncle were already in the room, the Kaiba heiress tried to calm her nerves. She quickly took a seat in the leather armchair that she had claimed as her own over the years._

_Silently, she prepared herself for whatever disaster her parents may have cooked up this time._

" _Kagome," Seto said as got up from his seat and moved to the front of his desk. "You're not here because you're in trouble.."_

' _Why would I be in trouble?' thought Kagome with a deadpanned expression upon her face, but nodded her head to show to her father that she understood. "Then what am I here for?" asked Kagome._

" _You're here because your father and I have something to give you," Mokuba answered, pushing himself off the wall he been leaning against to stand by his brother._

" _And that'd be?" inquired Kagome curiously as she relaxed slightly into her chair._

_Instead of answering with words Seto just took a small sliver papered wrapped box from his desk and handed it to her._

_Taking the present, Kagome looked at it curiously, carefully examining the box. "What is it?" she asked upon finishing her examination._

_It was her Uncle Mokuba who answered her. "Well why don't you open it?" Mokuba prompted as he gestured towards the box with his hands. And with a nod of her head Kagome began to tear off the wrapping paper and opened the box. She gasped at what had awaited on the inside of the little box._

_Lying inside the little box was a brand new shiny silver smart phone. With all the little detail she could, she could tell it was the newest and most technologically advanced phone that wasn't even on the market yet._

_The entire front of the phone was video-touch screen with a small camera nestled in at the top center. And on the back was a imprint of the three Harpie Lady Sisters surrounding a Harpie Queen protectively and behind them was a Blue Eyes White Dragon all etched in and outlined in black ink._

_Immediately after Kagome was shaken out of her awe stricken state, she was out of her seat and hugging both her uncle and father all the while shouting thank you over and over again. Her uncle and surprisingly her father, both just chuckled at her excitement of receiving her new cellphone._

_ End Flashback _

* * *

Snapping out of her memory, Kagome quickly answered her phone. "Moshi moshi?"

"Kagome," a somewhat familiar baritone replied.

"Chichiue," the blue-eyed girl gasped. "Is there any particular reason why you have called?"

"Yes, do you remember why you're being sent to Duel Academy?"

"Yes, Chichiue," the heiress sighed as she obediently answered her father. "I'm supposed to be looking a husband you approve of."

"It's good that you remember. Now can you repeat the list of requirements your future husband needs to meet?"

"Chichiue, are you insulting my intelligence?" Kagome blurted out, feeling offended by the question.

Hearing his daughter's tone, Seto quickly changed his approach. "I have faith that you've memorized the requirements, but I would prefer to know that it is actually true."

"So you wish for me to recite the list?" the teen questioned, a little confused by statement. It wasn't like her father to use words like faith.

"Yes."

As soon as her father finished speaking, Kagome was already listing off all the requirements that she knew her future fiancé would have to meet. She spoke as fast as she could, wanting to get this conversation over with as soon as possible if this was all her father wanted to talk about.

When she finished, she immediately took a breath of much needed air. At the same time her eyes darted about the lounge, checking to see if anybody had come near her temporary sanctuary. It just wouldn't do for a Kaiba, even if it wasn't known to others, to be caught rushing through anything.

Once she was sure nobody had seen her, she relaxed back into her seat, having stiffened up at her father's phone call.

For the next half hour, the Ace Princess would spend it conversing with her father. And surprisingly, Kagome found herself enjoying the conversation because for the first time in god knows how long, they weren't talking about Duel Monsters. Her father sounded awkward and seemed to be stumbling through the call, but she could tell he was at least trying to be the father he was supposed to be.

By the time the conversation ended, Kagome was starting to dose off; the rocking of the ship and the sound of crashing waves always had that effect on her.

With a final "love you tou-san" and a flip of her phone, Kagome put away her phone and curled up in on the armchair. Once she was sufficiently comfortable, she promptly dosed off into a light nap.

Hours would pass before the Kaiba heiress would wake up to the yacht's captain announcing their imminent arrival to Duel Academy Island.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Harpie Channeler:
> 
> Original:You can discard 1 "Harpie" card; Special Summon 1 "Harpie" monster from your Deck in face-up Defense Position, except "Harpie Channeler". You can only use this effect of "Harpie Channeler" once per turn. While you control a Dragon-Type monster, this card's Level becomes 7. This card's name becomes "Harpie Lady" while it is on the field or in the Graveyard.
> 
> Adjusted: You can discard 1 "Harpie" card; Special Summon 1 "Harpie" monster from your Deck, except "Harpie Channeler". You can only use this effect of "Harpie Channeler" once per turn. While you control a Dragon-Type monster, this card's Level becomes 7. This card's name becomes "Harpie Lady" while it is on the field or in the Graveyard.


End file.
